No letdown for Lee

After a hard-fought Game 1 against the Lee Ladies, the Little Giants began to take a tumble in Game 2.

Missed kills and poor sets plagued Waynesboro early on as Robert E. Lee regained composure to sweep the Little Giants 25-21, 25-14, 25-19 Tuesday for the Southern Valley District win.

"Waynesboro has improved a lot. I told them that we can't play sloppy if we want to have a chance in our district," Lee Ladies coach Tiffany Eimers said. "We just got comfortable with our lead. That happens to all teams."

At the end of Game 1, Robert E. Lee was resting nicely with a 24-16 lead until Waynesboro's sparkplug stepped up to the service line and whipped out five straight points.

"Rachel Binda did a heck of a job for us tonight. She's been the most consistent player all year," said Waynesboro coach Lori Aleshire.

Within those five points, the Little Giants' Haley Quesenbery packed a heavy punch when she slammed a kill from the back row past the Lee front line. Maloree Kanney also came up with a block.

"We're getting better, but it's just been an up-and-down battle. We can't find a complete game," Aleshire said. "We have to find a way to play consistent all the way through."

In the beginning of Game 2 the tide began to turn ugly. Lee got off to quick start when sophomore Kathleen Turner served up four straight service points against the Little Giants.

Waynesboro regained control with a Quesenbery kill, but on the next point a Lee ball went between Quesenbery and Jolie Dudley untouched giving Lee back the possession.

"They've got to communicate out on the court better," Aleshire said. "We're making too many mistakes."

After a Heather Sutton missed serve in the net, the Lee Ladies' Jenni Carter put it into gear as she went on a four-point serving spree giving Lee the 10-2 edge.

However, one of the biggest knocks of the match came through those four points when the tall Kendra Scott slammed down a huge kill off a short and low set off Carter on the front row. That was just one of the five front-row kills Scott used as an offensive weapon.

"She's doing better. If she could just take a full swing at the ball she would be unstoppable," Eimers said.

In Game 3, Waynesboro tried to get back on track as the Little Giants held the Lee Ladies to five tiebreaks. Quesenbery helped give the Little Giants a two-point lead when she went up for the block against the Lee Ladies attack. The next point she won on her serve.

However, Robert E. Lee fought back once again but this time using tips and sneaky free balls. With a 16-14 lead, Carter regained possession for the Lee Ladies when she tipped the ball into the open hole of Waynesboro.

Nicole Bowman went on to serve three straight service points to cushion the match.

"They were a little more intense tonight," Eimers said.