No carry-over for Green Ridge

LINCOLN — The Green Ridge Lady Tigers couldn’t maintain the momentum they built in knocking off back-to-back state champion Sacred Heart.

The Lady Tigers struggled with communication, sloppy passing and uncharacteristic errors in a 25-18, 25-11 loss to the New Haven Shamrocks on Saturday in a Class 1 sectional volleyball playoff at Lincoln High School.

The Lady Tigers’ normally crisp offensive attack was held in check by a New Haven back row that created few seams and little open, uncovered floor.

Ragin Dillon, the Lady Tigers’ main setter, couldn’t establish a rhythm to set up Savannah Williams and Laurel Larimore, Green Ridge’s go-to hitters, who combined for only five kills.

Along with a mediocre effort from their teammates, the team committed too many net faults and unforced errors to advance to the quarterfinals.

“Too many unforced errors,” Green Ridge coach Lori Larimore said.

“That’s how we’ve been winning is limiting the errors in our recent contests. It’s something we’ve preached all year. I don’t know if they were a little nervous or what, but today we just didn’t execute.”

Defensively, the Lady Tigers picked up some of the slack as Torey Williams had 21 digs and Larimore added eight.

New Haven’s Elise McDonald and Blake Willimann had too much firepower on the front line.

The two sophomores combined for 15 kills and four kill-blocks to keep the Lady Tigers consistently on their toes.

The Lady Tigers never established a lead in the match and had to claw back to close deficits early and often.

Tied at 6 in the opening game, the Shamrocks established some breathing room from the start.

Taylor Cobb and Emily Carey combined for three kills and the Lady Tigers committed two net faults as the Shamrocks scored five unanswered points for an 11-6 advantage.

Green Ridge answered with a 5-0 run, highlighted by Torey Williams’ ace and two straight kills from Clare Chamberlin, but they couldn’t keep the momentum going.

Each team jockeyed for the lead but tied at 13, the Shamrocks pieced together a 6-0 run as four players had kills and Katie Litzsinger contributed an ace to cap off the surge.

The lead never fell below four points afterward, and despite fighting off a game point, the Lady Tigers’ 12 unforced errors proved to be their downfall.

The momentum carried over into the second game for the Shamrocks.

Tied at 2, McDonald  and Willimann contributed a combined six kills and two kill-blocks in a span where New Haven pieced together a 12-0 run on the serve of Litzsinger.

Down 14-2, Green Ridge showed some fight and drew the deficit to eight after Jordyn Smith and Larimore provided some power up front.

The Shamrocks’ lead, however, soon increased to double digits, and after Larimore fought off a game point with a kill up the middle, Kaitlin Kopp connected with McDonald on the right side for her eighth assist to end the match with an emphatic kill.

“They’ve had a great season with 21 wins and a district championship,” coach Larimore said of her team’s 2009 campaign. “... I got to give credit to the girls for making it here and I’m really proud of what they accomplished.”