2008 Woodie Awards
Rangers swab deck with Lady Pirates
By Jeff Reese
Issue date: 11/14/08 Section: Pulse
Originally published: 11/13/08 at 9:23 AM CSTLast update: 11/13/08 at 3:54 PM CST
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After an easy 25-17 win in Game 1, the team turned on the jets in Game 2 by blasting off to a 6-0 lead.
While they forfeited the lead at 10-9, a huge play helped.
In a display of Herculean effort, psychology freshman Monique Martin hit the turf to keep the ball in play by mere inches; the save that eventually led to a crowd-pleasing, tide-turning point.
The team took the momentum and continued to suffocate opponents late in the game, as they scored the game's last 8 points for a 25-18 win.
In Game 2, a lack of communication often contributed when the Rangers fell behind, as closely knit players let the Pirates' shots drop in because each thought the other would hit it.
Head coach Marisa Martinez emphasized the importance of keeping communication throughout the match.
"They think, 'Oh, the other person's going to get it,' but I'm like, 'Don't assume they're going to get it, you go get it!" Martinez said. "If you have to ram into each other, by all means, as long as the ball goes up, that's all I care about."
Game 3 went back and forth like a pendulum, as neither team scored more than 3 consecutive points or led by more than 4.
Education sophomore Valerie Morales provided another game-changing shot for the Rangers when she got the team's third hit, a behind-the-back circus shot from the back end line, into Pirate territory and gave her team a 19-17 lead.
The Rangers hung on for a 25-23 win to seal the match.
Only seven Rangers suited up for the match, but liberal arts freshman Sarah Degrassi said the short bench helped with cohesiveness and team chemistry.
"We played better than we usually do when we have less people," Degrassi said. "With more people, there are more substitutes, and people tend to get confused about who they're next to, and the rotation gets messed up a lot."
Martinez spoke highly of her team's recent improvement.
"Even the refs saw it. They said, 'This is the best I've ever seen y'all play,' and they've seen us play three times," Martinez said.
The Rangers next travel to Northwest Vista College to face the Lady Wildcats at 8 p.m. Thursday.
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