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© St. Petersburg Times, published September 27, 2001
Crusaders off to fast start
Those who think Keswick Christian is obsessed with the notion of returning to the state tournament for the third time in four seasons should think again.
"I'm not concerned with wins or losses or how far we get in the state tournament," Crusaders middle hitter Kristin Mock said. "I just want to have fun my senior year and if things happen to fall in place, and we win and make it to state, then that's great, too."
So far, things have fallen in place nicely for the Crusaders. Keswick Christian is 11-2 and has won seven consecutive matches, including victories against Shorecrest and Clearwater.
Such a fast start didn't seem likely when fall practice began. The Crusaders lost five players to graduation and sophomore middle hitter Jen King transferred to Largo.
The departures hurt but coach Karrmayne King wasn't ready to panic.
"I knew we still had Kristin coming back and we had a very good setter in Lindsey Crosby," King said. "That goes a long way."
Mock and Crosby, both seniors, have become team leaders. Four years ago, when the Crusaders advanced to their first state tournament, the two were freshmen on a senior-laden team.
"We've taken on that role as leaders," Crosby said. "The confidence is starting to get there and we're eliminating mistakes."
Said King: "It's interesting to see how much this team resembles the first team that made it to state. Hopefully, we can make it back."
TOURNAMENT RESULTS: At the East Coast Challenge, the three county teams participating -- Countryside, Clearwater and Lakewood -- didn't fare well.
The Cougars, ranked No. 10 in the Class 5A poll this week, went 2-3 and finished eighth, the highest among county teams. The Spartans went 2-3 and the Tornadoes went 1-4. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas went 5-0 and won the tournament.
ROLLER COASTER SEASON: It has been an uneven season for Clearwater, the defending Class 4A state champions.
For example, last week Clearwater scored its biggest win of the season against East Lake. The Tornadoes then lost four of five matches during the weekend and dropped a three-game set to Keswick Christian on Monday.
SPIKES AND STUFF: The Keswick tournament has been rescheduled again. The tournament will be held Oct. 5 and 6. The move means Clearwater and East Lake won't participate. Both are playing in the Berkeley Premier tournament the same weekend. ... East Lake is holding a car wash Saturday to benefit the victims' families of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The car wash is from 9 a.m. to noon at the Exxon station at U.S. 19 and Curlew Road.