Oswego defense key in win

Updated: September 15, 2011 8:16PM

The oohs and aahs during most girls volleyball matches are saved for the hitters.

A booming kill usually get the attention of everybody in the gym.

However, defense is the unsung hero in every match.

Defense carried Oswego to a 25-19, 25-21 Southwest Prairie Conference win over Plainfield South Thursday in Plainfield.

The Panthers had 41 digs as a team and improved to 6-8 overall and 3-1 in the SPC.

“Since we started playing conference matches, we’ve been doing pretty well,” Oswego coach Erica Lorenz said.

Since going 0-5 at the Plainfield North Invite to start the season, the Panthers have won six of nine matches.

“We go in increments,” Lorenz said. “We play hard for a few points, then play side out volleyball. We have to find a way to work through that. It’s more of a mental thing with them.”

Anna Matic’s ace gave the visitors a 5-1 led in game one. Oswego led 8-2 as Plainfield South struggled with its serve receive.

Plainfield South’s Kayleigh Harper served six straight service points, cutting the Panthers’ lead to 12-11.

Plainfield South junior Meagan Miller tied it at 15-all with a kill. However, a pair of errors gave the visitors a 20-17 lead.

Oswego opened game two with a 3-0 lead. Allison Waldvogel’s ace cut Oswego’s advantage to 13-12. Tied at 14-all, Katy Kennedy’s kill gave Oswego a 15-14 lead.

An ace by Harper and an Oswego error gave the home team a 20-18 lead.

Stuersel’s solo block gave the Panthers the lead for good at 21-20.

“We had some nice blocks by Destiny Stuersel and Stephanie Coates and we had some good defense in the back row from Anna Matic and Katy Kennedy,” Lorenz said.

Brittany Maertzig led the defense with 11 digs. She also had four kills.

Stuersel had seven assists, six kills, six digs and an all-important block, that coming in game two.

Kennedy and Matic added eight digs each for the Panthers.

Bri Sawin had four kills and Waldvogel and Nikki Sron came up with three kills each for the Cougars (6-12, 0-4).

“I only had one senior on the court tonight,” Larson said. “The rest were sophomores and juniors. There is a light at the end of the tunnel,” Larson said. “We just have to get rid of those unforced errors at critical times of games.”

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