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Tuesday night was the exception. It may be the only time in my
sports fan life that I found myself cheering for Chatham to win
anything. But I was and they did, and as a result it's all good for
the Lady Railers volleyball team. Next week, I'll be cheering for
Jacksonville to win a match at home. I haven't actually lost my
mind, but let me explain.
Tuesday night was a big night in the race for the Central State
Eight volleyball title. At Lincoln, the Lady Railers played the
many-time conference champions, the Crimsons from Jacksonville. A
win would put the Lady Railers at 4-1 in conference play. If the
Railers hoped to have any share in the conference title, this was a
must-win situation.
But that was only half the story. At SHG, Chatham came a-calling
to try to have a say in the outcome of the conference title. SHG was
unbeaten. SHG's conference unbeaten streak included a win over
Lincoln. Chatham was previously beaten by none other than the
Lincoln Lady Railers. A win by SHG over Chatham would virtually
assure SHG of the conference title. A win by Chatham would put three
teams at the top.
As of late Tuesday night, it was crowded at the top of the
Central State Eight volleyball world. Lincoln, SHG and Chatham all
stood at 4-1 with only two matches remaining. A one-time thank-you
goes out to Hannah Werth and the Chatham Titans. Who says I'm not
gracious in my writing? Who said it is lonely at the top?
Lincoln took care of its own business by defeating the now 11-12
Crimsons by a match score of 25-22, 25-13. JHS put up a valiant, but
losing, battle in game one. It appeared from the start that both
teams had come to play. Throughout the first game there was never
more than four points' difference between the teams, and most times
it was one or two points that separated them. Each time one team
would make a brief run, the other team would bring things back to
even. At 14-14, after a brief off-court discussion between the
Railer players and coaching staff, it looked like the Railers were
going to finally put Jacksonville away. With Ashley Meyrick serving,
the home team ran the score to 19-15. It appeared the end was near.
Not so, according to JHS, as they then ran off four successive
points and Lincoln called timeout again. The teams battled it out
over the remaining points, until at 23-22 Jamie McFadden decided it
was time to finish the matter. With some nice sets from Ashley
Bonaparte, Jamie pounded the two final points into the floor for a
Railer win at 25-22.
The close first game apparently took it all out of the Crimsons.
By the time the second game of the match rolled around, JHS had
packed it in for the night. The Railers ran out quickly to a 5-0
lead on the serving of Natalie Boward. After numerous exchanges of
serve in which each team gave the other some points, the score stood
at 12-8 in favor of the Railers. Ashley Meyrick rotated to the
service line and Chrissy Schonauer finished with a kill to put the
Railers up 13-8. Coach Howe then replaced Meyrick as the server and
gave Amy Ramlow the chance to put some points on the board. It would
be an understatement to say that Ramlow really had the Crimsons'
number. Four aces and eight total serves later the Railers were in
control for good with the score at 21-8. JHS played through a couple
more points, but then a soft tip into a wide-open Jacksonville
center court by setter Ashley Bonaparte ended the match with a
whisper. The final score was 25-13.
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At the same time in Springfield, Chatham and SHG went three games in
their match. In the end, Chatham had the last word. After losing the
first game, Chatham won the match 18-25, 25-19, 25-23. According to
sportswriter Robert Burns of the State Journal Register: "Glenwood
displayed a balanced attack to beat Sacred Heart-Griffin 18-25,
25-19, 25-23 in front of a packed house at the SHG East Campus gym.
Glenwood improved to 21-9 overall and 4-1 in the Central State Eight
Conference. Sacred Heart-Griffin fell to 12-12, 4-1." SHG has to
play Taylorville and, more importantly, Jacksonville at Jacksonville
to finish its season. GO, JACKSONVILLE! Chatham has the exact same
conference-ending schedule as Lincoln, playing both Southeast and
Springfield to end their conference schedule. GO, ANYBODY!
Lincoln can control its own conference destiny if it can win both
of its matches next week. The Lady Railers play Southeast and
Springfield High next week. A double win would assure the Railers of
no less than a share of the conference title. And, since I am not
good at sharing, I can only hope that someone can knock off both SHG
and Chatham next week.
Now there is something to play for, ladies! Take care of your own
business next week. GO, RAILERS!
Junior varsity improves to 4-1 in CS8 Conference
Hannah Sheley had an excellent night overall, with eight points
at the service line and five kills at the net, to help the Railer
junior varsity to a conference win on Tuesday over Jacksonville.
Kelsey Bunner also had an excellent night at the service line, as
she knocked down seven service points, including three aces.
The junior Railers improve to 15-10 overall.
The junior varsity has two conference matches left in its season.
The Railers play next Tuesday night at Southeast and then conclude
their conference and regular season at home against Springfield
High.
GO, RAILERS!
[Rick
Hobler]
Respond to the writer at
rhobler@lccs.edu.
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