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  • Woodlawn High School volleyball players (from left) Leah Sutton, Whitney Lowery and Kinzie Verhines watch a Sesser-Valier pass drop to the floor Thursday evening. The Lady Cardinals regrouped and swept the Red Devils, 25-20, 25-22. John Roark Photo John Roark

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August 27, 2009

Lady Cardinals coach’s strategies pay dividends

By JOHN ROARK

john.roark@register-news.com

WOODLAWN — Angie Cheatham is learning that perhaps the best course of action in a close match is to stop the action altogether.

Twice Thursday night, Cheatham called timeout with her Woodlawn High School volleyball team reeling in its season opener against visiting Sesser-Valier.

Both play stoppages worked in the Lady Cardinals’ favor. S-V broke the huddle and promptly allowed WHS to serve the final point in the first game, and in Game Two, the Red Devils closed to within 19-18 before Cheatham reset the situation.

S-V could not sustain a rally after that, and WHS (1-0) completed a 25-20, 25-22 sweep.

“It’s about making key decisions at the right time,” Cheatham said. “We were trying to give the girls some rest, and we were able to do that.”

The Cardinals won the match by picking their battles at the net. Woodlawn’s interior hitters were outsized by S-V’s duo of Chloe Benedict and Ashley Slack, forcing the offense to the fringes.

“We had to use our outside hitters a lot because we weren’t able to get passes to the setter,” Cheatham said. “(Benedict and Slack) took our middle hitters out.”

WHS had some success up front when Benedict and Slack rotated to the back row. Woodlawn put up a decisive rally in the first game, with Jonah Frick serving. Mallory Hapeman smacked two spikes during a four-point move which put the hosts ahead 16-9.

The Cardinals then pecked away at a point here and there, and led 23-16 after a net violation was called against Slack.

S-V then picked up a sideout, and Benedict served four straight, with Slack slamming a pair of kills.

Cheatham then called her first timeout, Benedict botched the ensuing serve, making it 24-20. A passing error ended the first game.

Hapeman put WHS ahead 6-1 in the second game, with Leah Sutton coming up with a couple of big plays at the net.

However, Sesser made its one deep run of the match, an eight-point surge with Sadie Frye serving.

Two sideouts later, it was Woodlawn taking the lead for good on the strength of 10 straight from server Whitney Lowery. Lowery’s low, hard serve kept the Devils’ defense honest.

“Lowery does have a good serve,” Cheatham said. “It was really effective tonigh for us.”

Lowery gave Woodlawn an 18-11 lead, but Sesser would rally with Slack and Benedict doing damage with their blocking and spikes.

Clinging to a 19-18 lead, Cheatham called time once again, and S-V was called for a net violation out of the reset. At 20-18, Frick aced a serve before a sideout, but S-V couldn’t rally for more than two straight points the rest of the way.

Lowery applied the final nail with a wicked shot that deflected off an S-V player in the back row.

“We tried to serve and hit to find a hole,” Cheatham said. “We tried to find the weakest link. I’d like for us to get stronger in terms of blocking. But I am happy with the confidence we showed in our first match.”

Hapeman and Lowery led the way with 14 points each. Frick and Kinzie Verhines added six each, Sutton and Caitlin Buretta five apiece. Sutton and Lowery led in hitting with seven kills each, Frick and Hapeman both picking up four and Verhines three.

S-V won the junior varsity match, 15-25, 25-9, 25-19.

WHS hosts South Central Tuesday evening.

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