Peterson, Rams make sure to get 3
The gym was hot and steamy, but the last thing on Amanda Peterson's mind was playing just two games in Tuesday night's girls volleyball opener. Not after visiting Glenbard West claimed Game 1.
So Peterson helped Glenbard East force a decisive third game and then came up big down the stretch as the Rams outlasted the Hilltoppers 18-25, 25-17, 25-23 to claim the nonconference season opener between the two rivals.
The tall Hilltoppers, led by 6-foot-2 Amy Kendall, used a strong block to win the first game, then played solid defense in a back-and-forth third game. But Peterson sparked a 6-1 Rams charge late in the decisive game to give the hosts a 23-16 lead. It was just enough to hold off a Glenbard West rally that saw the visitors close to within 24-23 before the match ended when Laura Luczak's serve was ruled to be just deep.
"We had to figure out a way to get it over their blocks, or to get around the block," said Peterson, a 6-foot senior who finished with 10 kills, 11 assists and a pair of aces.
It was a nice save by Peterson, however, that really paved the way to her team's victory. With that 17-14 edge in Game 3, Peterson raced toward her bench with her back to the net and not only saved the ball, but hit a winner. She followed that play with a kill and, after a Kendall spike pulled Glenbard West to within 19-15, Peterson added another kill, an assist and a pair of aces as the Rams built a big enough lead to hold off the Hilltoppers.
"That (save) kind of gave us energy and proved to ourselves that we could win," the Ohio State-bound Peterson said. "It was fun. I know we can play better, but it's still good to start the year with a win."
Hilltopers coach Peter Mastandrea credited Peterson with coming up big, but also felt his team needs to make sure its own star - Kendall - gets her share of chances.
"We had too many unforced errors, and that depleted our offensive confidence,' he said. "Amanda came up big for them. I know she's probably the best player we'll see all year. But our kids showed a lot of character with the late run, and we just got to get Amy the ball more."
Rams coach Marci Maier was happy to escape with a "W" but added that her team needs to play a little tougher when it has a team on the ropes.
"There was a lot of momentum (shifts)," she said. "That's what the game is about. We got the separation and they came back. We needed to be able to finish strong and we were stuck at 23 way too long."