Battered Knights tough one out

River Ridge adjusts to the height difference to pull off a district victory against Ridgewood.

By FRANK PASTOR
Published September 22, 2005

NEW PORT RICHEY - At 5-feet-10 with a powerful swing and outstanding court sense, Ridgewood middle hitter Caitlin Morrison presents any number of problems for an opponent.

Particularly one without a blocker.

But River Ridge overcame the absence of Brittany Frey to win 25-23, 19-25, 28-26, 25-16 in a back-and-forth Class 5A, District 7 and Sunshine Athletic Conference match Wednesday at the Jim Valentine Athletic Complex.

Frey, one of three River Ridge players recently diagnosed with bronchitis, was sidelined with a wrenched back. Libero Joy Barquin was limited by an injured biceps, and outside hitter Tarah Bigger had a sore big toe after dropping a table on it earlier in the day.

River Ridge (9-1) dropped a game for only the fifth time this season, but persevered to extend its win streak to six matches.

"It feels great," Bigger said. "It feels awesome to come out on top after all that stuff."

Without the 5-10 Frey, River Ridge did not have a player taller than 5-5. Coach Heidi Castelamare started right-side hitter Ashleigh Reams in the middle before deciding Reams was more valuable as an attacker and switched her with Emily Lehman.

Instead of trying to block Morrison at the net, Castelamare told Lehman to drop back and pick up tips. Because Morrison was hitting to the right, Castelamare had middle hitter Christina Townsend adjust her blocking, her right-side hitters pick up tips and her left side help with digs in the back row.

"We couldn't block (Morrison's) offense," Castelamare said, "so we had to go back and play defense, basically."

Offensively, River Ridge hit to the left to avoid Jessica Birchmeier, one of Ridgewood's top defensive players, on the right. Bigger had a team-high 16 kills, Townsend 11 and Reams seven. Brittany Castelamare added seven, to go with 41 assists.

Ridgewood (9-6) won the second game and led 22-21 in the third before unforced errors in the final two games ruined its momentum.

"The girls proved to themselves (Wednesday) that they're capable of playing well," Ridgewood coach Amber Starkey said. "(Wednesday's) match could have gone either way. That first and third game could have gone either way."

Morrison finished with a match-high 30 kills on 87 touches.

[Last modified September 22, 2005, 01:04:14]