By By TOM NYHUIS / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Coloma came into Niles High School Monday night for a non-league varsity volleyball match against the Lady Vikings and in the end it was the Comets leaving with a 3-1 victory 25-14, 23-25, 25-19, 25-19.
Even though the Niles team came away with just one win in the match, coach Linda Goodrich was pleased with the way the team preformed on the court.
"The most impressive part of tonight was the blocking game. Patty Anton, Katie Bourbonnais, Rebbecca Lewis, Brittney Wolverton and including our setter Demi Schrader to come up to a team like that who has such a finesse on attack plus power to go along with it, we did absolutely everything we could have done with blocking and I'm so pleased with the way my girls played. The defense came through, as long as the block was up there they did their job, the defense can do their job. The mistakes we did have were on serve receives and then putting it together on offense," Goodrich said.
The Vikings' lone win in game two came after they trailed by as many as five points early in the game.
After the Comets took a 12-7 lead on a hard kill by Lindsey Hauch the Vikings came fighting back taking a 15-12 lead and extended the lead another point to 19-15 before the Comets regrouped and tied the game at 21.
The game was even at 23 before Niles was able to put Coloma away in game two with the 25-23 victory. The Vikings were able to hang tough with the Comets through the final two games but couldn't find the offense to get past a tight Comet defense.
For Niles, Bourbonnais finished with 16 kills, Anton and Wolverton each added five in the four game match. Samantha Brawley finished the night with 17 digs against the hard hitting Comets, while Karly Kennedy and Stephanie Stoops each finished the night with 11 digs apiece.
Brawley also had a pair of aces and 15 assist with Bryanna Cramer picking up 11 assist on the evening.
For the Comets it was Chelsea Barrett leading her team with 23 kills, 24 digs and four aces. Lindsey Hauch added another 22 kills and came up with 21 digs and a block. Erica Bartholomew had four aces and 40 assist.
Niles stats
Samantha Brawley 17 digs, 15 assist, 2 aces
Karly Kennedy 11 digs
Patty Anton 5 kills
Demi Schrader 11 assist
Brittney Wolverton 5 kills
Katie Bourbonnais 16 kills, 1 ace
Stephanie Stoops 11 digs