Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 13, 1994 TAG: 9411230014
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
After bombing Grace Christian 15-1, 15-3, then decking Lynchburg Christian for the fourth time this season, 15-6, 15-9, the Raiders withstood an opening flurry by Bishop O'Connell before prevailing 15-5, 15-10.
``It's almost scary how they [the Raiders] just don't believe a team can beat them,'' North Cross coach Donna Satterwhite said.
The Raiders (24-2), whose only losses this season came to Group AAA Franklin County and Cave Spring, allowed the first three points to O'Connell and twice thereafter trailed by three points, but that didn't seem to phase them.
Down 5-4 with Kathryn Anthony serving, North Cross ran off the last 11 points of the game.
``That's happened to us all year,'' said O'Connell coach Francine Shayka, who is expecting a child in six weeks. ``We get stuck on one server. We have trouble receiving her and that starts getting into our heads.''
Also working on the brains of the girls from Arlington was the tournament's most valuable player, Armistead Lemon, a left-handed hitter who hurt O'Connell with six kills.
``We finally learned to read her in the second game,'' Shayka said. ``But having a left-handed hitter is a big advantage.''
The Raiders' Blair Calvert, who along with teammate Heather Perry joined Lemon on the all-tournament team that was voted by the coaches, was sympathetic about the trauma of dealing with a southpaw.
``I don't even like to play pepper with her,'' she said.
The second game started much the same as the first, except it was North Cross leaping to the early lead. Anne Lemon's kill put the Raiders up 4-0, but O'Connell battled back to tie the score at 5-5.
``I wish we'd played the first game as well as we played the second,'' Shayka said.
North Cross eventually fell behind by two points on three occasions, but again, stood firm.
``We stay calm,'' Calvert said.
To prove it, the Raiders ran off the last seven points of the game and the match as the partisan audience howled in appreciation.
The Raiders didn't have near the height O'Connell did - all tournament Tina Carroll, Gretchen Schuler, and Allyson Ratliff were a formidable trio at the net - but North Cross declined to be intimidated.
``Our court coverage is good as any team I've coached,'' Satterwhite said. ``That makes up for the lack of height.''
Also on the all-tournament team were Felicia Gadomski and Diane Norman of Lynchburg Christian and Karen Kellett of Collegiate.
North Cross has seven seniors, five of whom start and three - Perry, Calvert, and Armistead Lemon - have been first-stringers since they were freshmen. Together, they have been in on 46-straight Blue Ridge Conference victories.
``They may lose four or five points in a row, but it won't be because they get rattled,'' Satterwhite said. ``It'll be because they were outplayed.''
by CNB