Mount
Pulaski Lady Toppers advance to state championship
By Greg
Taylor
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[November 14, 2009]
Friday
the 13th typically reminds us of horror movies and
so-called bad luck. Friday, Nov. 13, of 2009, however, brought
smiles and joy for all as the Mount Pulaski Lady Toppers won their
Class 1A volleyball semifinal match and the Illinois Fighting
Illini destroyed SIU-E in their season opener. As I type on press
row of the real Assembly Hall, I'm smiling ear to ear at what has
transpired on this day.
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MPHS wins in three
Let's start with the Donna Dulle-led Lady Toppers. As the Taylor family (minus momma)
made our way into our seats at spacious Redbird arena and
began to thumb through the official state tournament
program, my eighth-grade daughter, Jordan, remarked, "Dad, Mount
Pulaski sure has a lot of losses, and most of the other teams
only have two or three." In fact, Friday's opponent, Payson
Seymour High School from the Quincy area, entered the match
with just two defeats on the year compared with 11 for MPHS. Using the win-loss logic only, one thinks a beat-down might
be in order. If this logic were leaned upon, one would be
dead wrong.
After a tough game one loss,
the Lady Toppers rallied for strong game two and three wins
and won the match 19-25, 25-17, 25-20 to move on to the
state championship game on Saturday morning against Lanark
Eastland -- who defeated Toledo Cumberland in game
two. Several items of note much be shared:
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MPHS was
paced by some excellent upper-class leadership from the
likes of senior libero Lindsey Durchholz, senior Morgan
Litterly, junior outside hitter Haley Bowles and junior
middle hitter Sammy Nichols. This quartet of leaders were in
the house two years ago when MPHS won it all, and Nichols' 10
kills, Litterly's six kills, Durchholz's 13 digs and Bowles'
seven kills and six digs paced the ladies in purple (actually,
they wore black).
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What can we
say about the trio of freshmen who made the huge leap from
junior high volleyball to state tournament action? Jessica
Awe, Rachel Durchholz and Breanna Howe overcame some game
one nerves and played like juniors and seniors. Howe had 14
assists; Awe had six assists, five digs and two huge game three
aces; and Rachel Durchholz played strong throughout the
match.
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MPHS receives
some good role play from seniors Ellen Olson and Kylie Wyss
and sophomore Sam Fanning. The balance of the Toppers is
really impressive and I believe sets Mount Pulaski apart
from many other good teams. Only four seniors will depart
this year, and the Toppers look poised to continue to create
nightmares for other area high school volleyball teams.
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Finally -- I cannot say enough
about head coach Dulle and her staff of Charissa Howe and Brook
Eaton. Having a daughter participate in the junior high program
at Mount Pulaski has allowed this reporter an up-close look at a
successful program in action, and the bottom line is there is no
substitute for hard work, dedication and preparation. I'm pretty
sure many in central Illinois and even in the Mount Pulaski
school district have no idea what a blessing they have in coach Dulle and her staff, so let me take this chance to say what
should be echoed throughout our community: I am thankful for the
many, many hours spent bringing excellence to the volleyball
program at Mount Pulaski. Coach, you are the best and your close
to 900 wins are no accident! Thanks for all you do!
[By GREG TAYLOR]
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