DISTRICT NEWS & PR |
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Hibbler, Collinsville swat Alton in semifinals
November 02, 2009
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Scott Fitzgerald
Collinsville Herald
October 31, 2009 |
Kahoks senior leads way in easy victory
While her Collinsville teammates stood, Shantey Hibbler sat in the middle of the squad's post-match huddle with a pained expression on her face.
Had the senior volleyball player injured herself on the last play of the match? Would she miss her team's next playoff contest?
No, and no.
The Kahoks senior wasn't dealing with an injury. Hibbler was still feeling the aftereffects of a celebratory swat to her backside from fellow senior Jordan Schneider following the Kahoks' 25-12, 25-12 pasting of Alton in Class 3A regional semifinal action Thursday night at Edwardsville.
"It still stings a little," said Hibbler, as she struggled to keep a straight face. "We started with the spankings a few weeks ago for (sophomore teammate) Alex Pickel's birthday. Then Jordan and I began exchanging them before games to get us fired up. I got her pretty good before the match tonight, so she was just paying me back at the end."
The swats from Schneider, a 5-foot-10 senior middle hitter, were definitely not punishment but more of a reward. Hibbler had a sensational night against the Redbirds, pounding down seven kills in 13 attempts. She also had four solo blocks and assisted on three more.
If the ball was hovering anywhere near the center of the net, chances are the 5-10 senior middle hitter got a hand on it.
"She hurt us a lot," Alton coach Stacey Ferguson said of Hibbler. "Tonight, she really turned it on."
Collinsville improved to 15-21 and was scheduled to face host Edwardsville (22-14) in the regional final on Saturday, after the Sunday Collinsville Herald went to press. Alton ended its season at 14-20.
In their only other meeting this season, the Redbirds had taken Collinsville to a third game, in which they fell 27-25. This time, thanks to Hibbler and consistent hitting from junior outside hitters Alyssa Wood and Kate Votoupal, the Kahoks were never headed.
"Alton beat us in the regular season last year, then we upset them in the playoffs," Collinsville coach Tracy Plagemann said. "We didn't want that happening to us this year. We were pretty focused this week and the girls came out and played strong tonight."
Behind the serving of sophomore Erika Evers, the Kahoks jumped out to a 7-1 lead, prompting the first of four Alton timeouts on the night. Even with Hibbler back at the service line, Collinsville continued to get points upfront from Wood, Schneider and 5-8 outside hitter Lauren Wethers. Most of the points the Redbirds were able to muster came on Kahok kill attempts that sailed over the endline.
"Last time we saw them it was close, but for some reason the girls buckled tonight," Ferguson said. "It was a frustrating thing. We didn't have a good offensive game whatsoever."
The Kahoks led 20-12 when Hibbler nailed consecutive kills. After a net serve by Alton, Wood followed with another kill, and Hibbler and Wood combined on a block to close out game one.
The Redbirds appeared to be rejuvenated in game two, and jumped out to a 4-1 advantage behind back-to-back Collinsville errors and a combined block from Jennifer Ingram and Lauren Meeks. But a Votoupal kill sparked a 9-1 Collinsville run. Hibbler chipped in four points with a tip that hit the net and crawled over, and block, a resounding spike and another tip.
"Shantey had a really nice game," Plagemann said. "She covers a lot of ground, from pole to pole, when she blocks. She likes to tip the ball a lot, and we've been trying to get her to hit the ball harder all season. She did that more tonight."
The teams traded points until the Kahoks pulled ahead 18-8 on a Hibbler solo block. Alton took its last timeout, and Collinsville closed out the match, getting a resounding kill from Hibbler on the final point.
Hibbler, a basketball player who does not play club volleyball, said she felt really comfortable Thursday night.
"I wasn't nervous at all," she said. "I had a lot of energy tonight, and when I do I get really bouncy and I'm more on my toes. I'm happy we won, because I'm not ready to go to basketball just yet."
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