Packers beat Tigers in four

Published 11:33 pm Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Austin bench watches in anticipation during a furious volley with Albert Lea in game one Tuesday night at Packer Gym. - Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

The Austin volleyball team was clicking on all cylinders as it closed its regular season with a 27-29, 25-20, 25-20, 25-19 win over Albert Lea (4-19 overall, 0-9 Big Nine) in Packer Gym Tuesday.

Austin's Babye Oja spikes past Albert Lea's Bethany Sekora during game two of their match Tuesday night in Packer Gym. - Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

The Packers (3-15 overall, 1-9 Big Nine) were able to bounce back from a tough first game loss, in which they played all seniors.

They had led the first game 27-26 after Jenny Soiney had a kill and Ashley Arhart served an ace, but the Tigers scored the last three points as Danielle Hanson and Bethany Sekora knocked down kills.

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Instead of getting down, Austin came out strong and built up a 16-12 lead in the second game.

“I think we knew we just had to stay fired up and keep the momentum going and we’d get it,” said Soiney, a senior who had a team-high 18 digs. “We all knew it was the seniors’ last game and we wanted to show everyone what we had.”

Austin trailed 3-0 to start the third game, but Ashley Follmuth served five straight points to turn it around. The Packers led 6-0 to start the last game as Follmuth served two late aces and Haley Underwood had two kills.

“This is a huge rivalry for us. We were mentally prepared for this one and it’s certainly nice to go into subsections with a win,” Austin head coach Darica Schneider said. “The gym was really packed tonight and there were two student bodies yelling back and forth. That’s good and it was really loud.”

Austin's Dannie Billidt leans out for the ball during game one against Albert Lea Tuesday night in Packer Gym. - Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Austin stats: Babaye Oja, 11 kills, 4 blocks; Ashley Follmuth, 13 digs, 12 serve receives, 22-for-22 on serves with 4 aces; Jenny Soiney, 18 digs, 6 kills, 15-for-15 on serves with 2 aces; Haley Underwood, 7 digs, 18 serve receives, 13-for-14 on serves, 3 aces; Jenna Svoboda, 7 digs, 11 serve receives, 14 assists; Meredith Molhusen, 7 kills; Ashley Arhart, 3 aces; Kayla Rodgers, 18 assists