Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - R-F eliminated in Area playoff

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Wednesday, November 3, 1999

R-F eliminated in Area playoff
30-4A champion Pleasanton wins big, 15-2, 15-5
By Stu Duncan
Caller-Times

George Tuley/Caller-Times

Nikki Orona (left) of the Pleasanton Eaglettes fakes a spike as Stacy Aniol dumps the ball over the net against Rockport-Fulton.

BEEVILLE - It was all Pleasanton High School Tuesday night in Beeville.
   The Eaglettes varsity volleyball team didn't allow Rockport-Fulton to get into any flow, as Pleasanton stormed to a 15-2, 15-5 victory in the Class 4A area playoffs Tuesday.
   The Eaglettes (32-5), the District 30-4A champion, advance to the regional quarterfinals against the winner of Tuesday night's Beeville-Los Fresnos bi-district game. "It's important for (the Eaglettes) to accomplish the same things that the teams in the past have done," said 18-year Pleasanton volleyball coach Neva Beeter, who guided the Eaglettes to the regional final in 1992. "They need to go out and make their own name and not go on what has been done in the past."
   The Lady Pirates finished the season at 23-9 overall.
   "They're obviously a very experienced team," said R-F volleyball coach Claudia Parscal, whose team was defeated in the area playoffs for the second straight year. "I think the best team probably won tonight, We have a young group of kids and it's just hard to do."
   Rockport-Fulton didn't take its first lead of the match until early in game two.
   The Lady Pirates' Carrie Eller (who finished with four kills and 11 digs) tossed in two service points and her teammate Laney Bardin's flying dink for a point handed R-F a 4-3 game two advantage.
   Nikki Orona's ace and Stacy Aniol's block gave the Eaglettes a 5-4 advantage, however. Though Eller's kill helped the Lady Pirates close within 7-5, R-F wouldn't reclaim the lead again.
   The Eaglettes showed they could play defense early. Rockport-Fulton seemed to have Pleasanton on it heels early as the Lady Pirates had two kill attempts off the opening serve but were denied by Pleaseanton digs. The Eaglettes took advantage as Jacque James (who had seven service points) served up four consecutive service points en route to a 9-0 Pleasanton advantage in game one.
   "They're just a good ball team," Eller said of Pleasanton. "They picked up everything we put across the net." "It is hard take because you're used to things falling," Parscal said of the Eaglettes' defense denying the kill attempts. "It's hard to play until the whistle blows.
   "It dropped the momentum," Parscal added. "We came in thinking that we were a lot stronger than that and losing the first one really hurt."
   The Lady Pirates finally got on the board when Bardin (who had a team-high six kills and two blocks) put down a kill. Rockport-Fulton's Ashley Bradford (who added nine assists) then scored her second servive point when Shelly Edlin dinked a ball over the net that the Eaglettes could not return.
   Pleasanton's Amy Hindes' service point, Aniol's block and Orona's two kills helped the Eaglettes complete game one with a 6-0 run to take it 15-2.
   Though their season is over the Lady Pirates can look forward to next season. Though they will suffer a big loss in the middle blocker Bardin graduating in the spring, the Lady Pirates beleive they will be back next year.
   "We're only losing one player," said the junior outside hitter Eller. "We're going to have a strong team next year with at least five seniors coming back."

   Pleasanton def. Rockport-Fulton 15-2, 15-5
   Kills - R-F, Laney Bardin 6, Carrie Elder 4, Codi Allen 3, Cody Birk 1. Pleasanton, Amy Hindes 3, Cally Hines 3, Jacque James 3, Stacy Aniol 2. Assists - R-F Ashley Bradford 9, Darla Guffey 3. Digs - R-F, Carrie Elder 11, Ashley Bradford 3. Blocks - Laney Bardin 2, Carrie Elder 1, Drala Guffey 2, Ashley Bradford 2. A. Hindes 1, Megan Ashley 1, Aniol 1. Aces - Pleasanton, Nikki Orona 2
   Records - Pleasanton 31-5. Rockport-Fulton 23-9

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