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Lady Ducks soar over Ellison By Jerrad Lindenmuth Taylor wins in four sets, improves to 2-1 KILLEEN - Kelsey Marek recorded ten kills and 14 blocks, providing the Taylor Lady Ducks with more than enough net presence to defeat the Killeen Ellison Lady Eagles 23-25, 25-13, 25-20, 25-14. The victory gives Taylor its second win in its first three matches of the 2008 season. “We played a little more aggressive than we have; we were faster in getting to our targets, which allowed us to run more of an offense,” Taylor coach Holly Turnbough said. “We were talking, working together, and getting used to each other.” Taylor rebounded after dropping the first game to cruise to a 12-point victory in the second. Ellison never held a lead in the second frame, as the Lady Ducks scored the first two points and 10 of the first 12 to assume control early. The Lady Ducks used their height advantage over the Lady Eagles at the net to maximum benefit, routinely blocking attempted Ellison kills and slamming home their own kills with authority. Marek provided a strong example of Taylor’s excellent net play to put the score at 18-8 in game two. Finding a gap in the Ellison defense and receiving a well-placed set, No. 11 rose up and unleashed a thunderous spike that bounced off the court before any Lady Eagle had a chance to react. The Lady Duck lead grew to as many as 13 before a kill from Taylor’s Morgan Ward deflected off the fingertips of the Ellison frontcourt players and landed harmlessly in the back of the court to end the game and tie the match. Ellison rebounded from the second game rout to lead much of the third game, but Taylor came back to tie the game at 15 on a kill by Marek. With the score 20-19 in favor of the Lady Ducks, one of the game officials stopped play to investigate a possible rotation error by Taylor. Turnbough said the official thought that Taylor’s libero, Holly Frazier, had served in place of the wrong player, but after discussing it with Turnbough, the official dropped the matter and resumed play. The delay lasted several minutes, which was enough time for the Lady Ducks to regroup. Taylor scored the first four points after the stoppage to go up 24-19. The game ended soon after on a kill from Carla Hoffman, assisted by Leah Morales. Communication errors by the Lady Ducks in the fourth game caused an early five point Taylor lead to disintegrate, but the lapses were short-lived. The Lady Ducks exploded for a 13-3 run to end the game and the match after Ellison came within one point, 11-12. Turnbough said she hopes her team plays more consistently. The Lady Ducks’ next chance to be more consistent comes up Thursday when Taylor travels to San Angelo for tournament action. The San Angelo tournament will end Saturday, and the Lady Ducks follow the San Angelo trip with a road trip to Groesbeck Tuesday to face the Lady Goats. The series of matches against Groesbeck is set to begin at 4 p.m.
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