The 2009 Cardinal Volleyball season is over, but the Staples Motley girls didn't go down without a fight. On Thursday, Oct. 29, the girls faced the number one seeded Sauk Centre Mainstreeters in the first round of sub-section playoffs. The Mainstreeters are a tough bunch, but the Cards put up some nice resistance.

The first set saw the girls in the lead for the first part, but they weren't able to hold on to that. Coach Kyra Quast said, "In the second set, we were flat right out of the gate, and did not put much of a game together until the end, when we ran seven hard points in the end of the second set."

After this energy, the Staples Motley players picked up the tempo and gave the Streeters a run for their money, pushing the game into overtime. Quast said about this match, "We took the second set momentum into the third set and played really great volleyball; again we found ourselves in the lead during the third set, but it ended 27-25."

Ashley Miles recorded 17 assists, while Kelly Roline put down six kills over the course of the night.

This loss meant the end of the season for the Cardinals, but as their Coach said, "Though it's always disappointing when the season ends, we can't feel bad about it when we played good volleyball." She also said that the Sauk Centre

coach paid the team a

compliment after the game, "He said that our team is a

tough, scrappy team; that we gave his girls a real run, and we play much better than our record would otherwise indicate. Anyone that has seen this team play would agree-we have had moments of great volleyball but struggled all year long with going the distance to finish it."

The volleyball banquet is still in the planning stages and final details will be announced once determined. Quast says that not only are players in 7th-12th grades welcomed, parents, family members and fans are also encouraged to attend the awards banquet.
Sauk Centre, 25 25 27
Staples Motley, 17 11 25
Lonna Dumpprope: 1 dig, 1 set assist

Kelly Reese: 1 set assist
Autumn Murray: 1 kills, 1 set assist

Abby Smith: 3 digs, 3 kills, 1 set assist,
2 ace serves
Kelli Roline: 3 kills
Nikki Pearson: 2 digs, 4 kills, 3
blocks
Kelly Pearson: 1 dig, 6 kills, 1 block
Ashley Miles: 1 dig, 3 kills, 17 set
assists, 1 ace serve
Overall: 6-21