Baylor Rebounds From Loss, Beats Ensworth In DII-AA State Volleyball

After Dorrell-Led Father Ryan Win, Lady Raiders Roll To 3-1 Victory

  • Wednesday, October 22, 2014
  • Larry Fleming

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Father Ryan unleashed junior outside hitter Lauren Dorrell on Baylor on Wednesday in the Division II-AA state volleyball tournament at Siegel Middle School on Wednesday.

The Lady Red Raiders were wishing Dorrell had never found her way from Texas to Middle Tennessee.

Dorrell slammed kill after kill and powered the Lady Irish to a 3-1 win over the Lady Red Raiders, securing a spot in winner’s bracket final for coach Jinx Cockerham’s squad.

Set scores were 25-21, 25-15, 13-25, 25-22.

Father Ryan (45-9) will play Briarcrest at 11:30 a.m.

CDT on Thursday for a spot in the championship game. The Lady Irish are seeking their fifth state title in 21 state appearances.

Baylor (40-9) regrouped after the Father Ryan loss, defeated Ensworth, 3-1, and advanced to the loser’s bracket final against the Father Ryan-Briarcrest loser in a 2:30 p.m. CDT in an elimination match on Thursday.

Another Baylor win the Lady Raiders will find themselves in the championship match on Friday at noon CDT.

Set scores in the Baylor victory were 25-20, 25-22, 20-25, 25-15.

“I think the girls picked up their communication and decided to play together as a team,” Baylor coach Sarah Lail said. “We were strong in games one and two, but Ensworth had their backs to the wall and came back to win the third.

“In the fourth, we definitely didn’t want to go five and came alive in that one. Hitters Haven Bethune and Gabby Gray really did a nice job.”

Bethune’s stat line: 16 kills, 16 assists, 13 digs, two aces.

And for Gray: 21 kills, 13 digs, 2 blocks, one ace.

“We’re excited to still be in the tourney and not on our way back home,” Lail said. “We’re still alive and our ultimate goal is still out there. It won’t be easy. We’re going to do what we have to do and see if we can’t come out on top.”

Sarah Sumida had a big match with 33 assists. Lily Turner had 20 digs, Lexy Hellerstedt had eight kills and Ashleigh Cook added six.

The Lady Raiders are in their 16th state tournament and trying to win a third state championship – they last won it all in 1998.

In the earlier match, Dorrell piled up a match-high 27 kills and dominated play at the net for the Lady Irish, who split two regular-season games with the Lady Raiders.

In only her second season playing volleyball, Dorrell put the Lady Irish on her shoulders and carried them to the hard-fought win in a sterling opening-round game.

“I played every other sport for girls you can imagine,” the 5-foot-11-inch Dorrell said, “but my parents said I should play volleyball. So I started playing and I love it now.”

Dorrell’s family moved from Texas to the Mid-State prior to the 2014-15 school year and it was not always an easy transition for her.

“It’s been a challenge,” Dorrell said. “Getting to know new teammates and a new school has been a journey.”

The Lady Irish star looked right a home Wednesday, delivering nearly 30 kills, mixed in with deft finesse shots, blocks and overall outstanding play.

“She’s an unbelievable player,” Lail said. “She reaches so high on her jump it’s very hard to defend her. I would love to have an athlete like that. But when you get to state every team has those studs that can take over a game.”

Now, Baylor faced a tough assignment just to stay in the tournament.

“This was a nice tight match,” Lail said. “There are definitely easy routes to the finals and there are some difficult routes. We’ve got the difficult way to go now. All four of these teams are high-quality teams.”

Don’t think Father Ryan is a one-girl team. Trailing 17-16 in the first set, the Lady Irish outscored Baylor 9-4 down the stretch and Dorrell had one kill. Four other players held up their end of the bargain in the final scoring spree.

Dorrell showed up big late in the second set, getting three of the final five points, including the 24th and 25th to put Father Ryan up 2-0.

Dorrell’s solid play continued into the third, but Baylor found some grit and outgunned the Lady Irish to keep their hopes alive.

From a 6-6 tie, the Lady Raiders pulled into a 17-10 advantage and was out front 22-12 after Cook’s block of Father Ryan’s Maggie Mullins.

Up 24-13, Baylor got the set-clinching point when Mullins’ shot found the net.

The deciding set was close all the way. With the action deadlocked at 9-all, the Lady Raiders built a two-point lead , but Dorrell’s kill later gave Father Ryan an 18-16 cushion.

Gray’s kill – she had 12 in the match – pulled Baylor to within 22-21, but Mullins and Olivia Rolick countered with back-to-back kills for a 24-21 lead.

Bethune, who registered a team-high 14 kills, scored on a slap shot, but Cook’s shot hit the net and the Lady Irish were ready to celebrate.

“I don’t think (Dorrell) was the only reason we crumbled,” Gray said. “We had trouble staying on our game.”

Why?

“We got mad at each other a little and that caused problems,” she said. “Now we’ve got work hard to get back to the finals.”

STATISTICS

Baylor (First Match)

Jane Wilson – 7 kills, 1 block

Haven Bethune – 2 aces, 14 kills, 14 assists, 8 digs

Cassie Elrod – 1 ace, 9 digs

Lily Turner – 18 digs, 1 ace

Sarah Sumida – 27 assists, 2 digs

Gabby Gray – 12 kills, 1.5 blocks, 16 digs

Ashleigh Cook – 11 kills, 1.5 blocks

Lexy Hellerstedt – 3 kills, 3 digs

Baylor (Second Match)

Jane Wilson – 7 kills, 1 block

Haven Bethune – 2aces, 16 kills, 16 assists, 13 digs

Cassie Elrod – 1 ace, 1 assist, 7 digs

Lily Turner – 1 ace, 1 assist, 20 digs

Sarah Sumida – 2 aces, 2 kills, 1 block, 33 assists, 12 digs

Gabby Gray – 1 ace, 21 kills, 2 blocks, 13 digs

Ashleigh Cook – 6 kills

Lexy Hellerstedt – 8 kills, 1 block, 4 digs

 (E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)


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