THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 3, 1996 TAG: 9611030208
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REA FARMER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 49 lines
The Cox boys volleyball team knocked off previously-unbeaten First Colonial 15-8, 5-15, 15-13 to win the Beach District tournament title Saturday night at Tallwood.
The two battled throughout the three games, with First Colonial's Kevin Jones and Andy Jaeckle trading kills with Cox power hitters Adam Dierstein and Josh Zuidema.
In girls action, Salem defeated First Colonial to earn the final spot in the Eastern Region tournament. Cox advanced as the top seed by winning the regular-season title. The Sun Devils edged First Colonial 15-12, 15-12 to win the Beach District tournament title.
The Falcons (15-3) dominated the early game, reeling off seven unanswered points to create a deficit the Patriots could not overcome. Zuidema sparked the offense, cracking five of his 18 match kills in the game.
Momentum swung in the second game as First Colonial (17-1) broke away from a 4-4 tie. David Hills served seven points to push the Patriots out of reach.
Emotion keyed the deciding game. The score was 12-11 First Colonial when the Falcons' Chris Topham served three points for the final lead.
Owen Matter set a season-high 40 assists in the matchup.
``It's tiring and exciting,'' Matter said of the intense matchup. ``It was a good game.''
Both teams advanced to the Eastern Region tournament that begins Tuesday. Matter predicts another First Colonial-Cox showdown in the final.
``It'll be us and First Colonial in the finals again, unless some other team comes out that we don't know about,'' Matter said.
Dierstein powered 18 kills and 12 digs in the game. First Colonial's Jones had 18 kills and 14 digs, Jaeckle had 17 kills with 10 digs, Cam Land had seven kills and three blocks and Hills had 43 assists.
Jenny Harmon led the Sun Devils' attack with 10 kills, 10 for 10 serving and two aces, including the match-winner.
The Sun Devils and Patriots were tied at nine when April Sexton notched a kill for the slim lead. Two sideouts later, Trish Callen served three points for a four-point margin. Alija Pittenger stepped up for the Patriots, powering back-to-back kills to cut the gap. Harmon aced the final two serves to seal the win.
``We tend to play better under pressure,'' Harmon said of battling through the must-win situation. ``In the regular season, there's not that much pressure. Once here, we knew that we were not going to go on if we did not win. We just pulled through.''
Pittenger closed the game with 12 kills, 9 of 10 serving, five aces, six digs and six assists. Bronwyn Blair was 16 of 17 serving with one ace and eight assists and Jacquelyn Costa served 8 for 8 with seven assists. by CNB