By Rob Potter
FALLSBURG — September 7, 2007 — The Sullivan West Lady Bulldogs used a strong service game to sweep the host Fallsburg Lady Comets on Wednesday in an Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division II volleyball match.
SW (1-0, 1-0 OCIAA) served its way to an early lead in each game of its 25-13, 25-11, 25-9 victory.
In the first game, Cara Davies served four aces to help the Lady Bulldogs take a 7-0 advantage. Amber McGibbon served three straight aces to close out SW’s 25-13 win in the game.
In the second game, Brionna Lovgren and Samantha VanDiver each recorded a pair of aces as SW jumped out to a 13-5 lead.
Moments later, Davies added two consecutive aces to boost the Lady Bulldogs’ advantage to 18-7.
SW stormed out to a 14-4 lead in the third game thanks to a pair of aces by McGibbon and two more from Brittney Gieger.
Davies and Lovgren paced the Lady Bulldogs’ offensive attack. Davies recorded 14 points and three kills, while Lovgren had 11 points and three digs.
Gieger and VanDiver each registered eight points for SW. Gieger added three digs and two kills and VanDiver made four kills.
“We worked very hard on serving during the preseason practices,” SW Coach Cliff Kelly said. “That effort really showed today and we played very well.”
Kelly noted that his team has two goals for every match this season.
“We want to keep the ball in play and score a lot of points with our serves,” he said.
Leading Fallsburg (0-1, 0-1 OCIAA) in Wednesday’s match were Stephanie Mendez (four points, one ace), Sharea Finn (three points), Christine Justiano (two points, three kills, two blocks) and Dana Maythenyi (three points, one block).
“It was a tough way to start the season,” Fallsburg Coach Andrea Millas said.
Although disappointed with the defeat, Millas found a few positives in the match.
“Christine Justiano is a great volleyball player,” Millas said. “She really means a lot to our team.
“I look forward to watching her improve as a player,” Millas added. “Actually, I look forward to watching all of these girls improve as the season continues.”