Head Varsity Volleyball Coach - Christy Plecha

MAVS Booster Rep - Joan Woodlee MAVS Website Reporters - Chuck Landers/Joan Woodlee

2010 Summer Camp Brochure

2006-2008 Archives

SEASON STATS: 15 WINS: 13 LOSSES                          

VOLLEYBALL TEAM HONORS PLAYERS AT OUR BANQUET:

Our seniors: Melissa Ungar, Kristina Brown, Kimberly Minor, Jordan Stovall, Brandy Cessarich

Sportmanship Award - Brandy Cessarich

Most Improved Award - Melissa Ungar

Maverick Award - Kristina Brown

Hustle Award and All Region Player - Jordan Stovall

 THANKS FOR A GREAT SEASON GIRLS!

LADY MAVERICK VOLEYBALL HONORS SENIORS AND CLOSES SEASON AGAINST HILLCREST  

On a cool Thursday night last week, The Mauldin Maverick Volleyball family gathered at the Gymnasium on the Mauldin Campus for senior Night and a match with 4A State ranked #9 arch-rival Hillcrest.  After the JV match and varsity warm-ups (accompanied by the Mauldin band drumline), the Mauldin Faithful introduced and honored the Senior Volleyball players who had each spent 4 years in the program and worked hard under the guidance and tutelage of Coach Christy Plecha to bring Mauldin Volleyball to its current level of respectability and competitiveness.  Mauldin competes in the indisputable most powerful Volleyball region in the state which has produced 4A state champions 5 of the past 6 years and likely to make that 6 of 7 in 2009.  3 of the 5 seniors honored represented Mauldin in their only Playoff appearances of the decade in 2007 and 2008 and were on the team in 2008 that won the Northwestern invitational tournament in Rock Hill.  All 5 were on the 2009 team that won the Panther invitational tournament in Myrtle Beach.  These accomplishments speak in aggregate to the hard work put in by the Seniors and Coach Plecha as well as the talent level of the region and program during Mauldin's senior’s time in the program.  The honored Seniors were introduced with their parents and provided flowers and gift memory-blankets from the Plecha family and the Mauldin Volleyball Underclassmen and Parents. After the introduction, impressive listings of academic, athletic, and service accomplishments were shared with the near capacity audience and with cameras flashing and misty eyes being dried with handkerchiefs and tissues, letters to each of the Senior's families, coaches, and teammates were read. The talented, impressive, and honored group of Senior Volleyball Players were Brandi Cessarich, Kristina Brown, Melissa Unger, Kimberly Minor, and Co-Captain Jordan Stovall.  The Mauldin Volleyball family extend to each and all of these terrific young ladies congratulations, thanks, and all of the best of luck & love in the coming years and challenges ahead.

When the tears were dry, the rest of the matches competitors introduced, and a beautiful rendition of the national Anthem sung by Courtney Arnold, it was time to get down to some volleyball - A match for pride and the Lady Maverick Seniors of Mauldin and an important one for seeding in the state tournament for Hillcrest.  Mauldin took a quick lead on two Hillcrest errors, but Hillcrest regained its composure and the lead with a 7 point run fueled by a block point, an Ace,  a couple of Mauldin errors, and a couple of successful kills.  The Lady Mavs, down 2-8, answered when Sophomore Kayla Whitten went on a 4 point service run after a Hillcrest serveout. Mauldin's Co-captains, Jordan Stovall and Junior Heather Granger scored kill points for the Lady Mavs on a block and a kill of a Whitten set.  After a Mauldin shank, Sophomore Laura Woodlee scored again for the Lady Mavs, spiking a Whitten set to bring the score to 8-9. Hillcrest Sophomore Hitter Kylie Haun got busy and tough at this point in the game and smashed 3 kills at Mauldin during a 2-9 Hillcrest run that was also helped by errors from both the Mauldin defense and attack. Before Granger heated up and reversed the trend, the score was 10-18. After the fiery Junior redhead punched a scoring kill to the Rams floor and served an Ace, the gap was closed to 6 at 12-18. After a Mauldin serve error, Stovall took the baton and pounded a crosscourt kill.  3 Hillcrest points later scored by blocks, kills, and a Mauldin hit error, Stovall struck successfully again with a second kill point off sets from Minor, but Hillcrest was in control and in the stretch with a 14-22 lead. Playing even over the next 6 points wouldn’t help the Lady Mav cause ... Haun avenged a Woodlee block point with a successful kill, the teams exchanged serveouts, and although a Mauldin backrow attack forced a Hillcrest shank and another gamepoint, Hillcrest's Super Soph. emphatically ended game one with a great swing over the Mauldin block and down the line to put the final click on Game 1, 17-25.

Game 2 started more familiarly, with a Granger kill off a set from Kim Minor to start the scoring.  Hillcrest answered with an attack that fell between the Mauldin block and the net.  Senior Melissa Unger slapped a Minor set to the Ram floor for a score and Hillcrest responded with a dunk that floated over the Mauldin block and in front of its oncoming defense. Stovall killed a Minor set and Hillcrest's front line matched the feat with a kill of its own.   Hillcrest's front line blocked a Mauldin attack and benefited from a shank by Mauldin and the exchanges took on a 2 to 3 for 1 character.  At 5-7, Granger made an outstanding diving dig to save a point and was rewarded when Hillcrest hit long on a free ball attack. Hillcrest killed an overpass from Mauldin and Haun Aced the ladies in Orange and White.  Junior Libero Dana Landers dug, scrambled and chased down a teammates shank to the back wall to keep a rally alive that finally ended in a Hillcrest hit into the net.  The score and game was creeping away from the hard-working Maverick netters 6-12.  Unger and Stovall connected with back-to back sets from Minor to close the gap to 4 at 8-12. A couple of Mauldin errors later, Minor kept setting her senior mates... Unger pounded another and Stovall two more kill points and the Lady Mavs were showing some determination not to let this game get away.  They trailed 12-17, when the Hillcrest attack forced a Mauldin block error and a Shank on the hustling Lady Maverick Netters. Granger smashed a kill off a Minor set to make it 13-20, but the momentum had shifted.  Haun and a frontline teammate killed a pair of textbook passes and sets to bookend a nice placement kill from Mauldin senior Kristina Brown and arrive at game point with Mauldin trailing at 16. Hillcrest hit long to give the Mavericks 17, but then killed another Mauldin overpass to seal Game 2 ,17-25,

Heather Granger opened the Game 3 scoring by spiking a familiar Minor set. But something was different ... Hillcrest hit an attack long on the next rally and then Brown and Sophomore Katie faith blocked a ram attack for a third point.  Granger's 4 point service run climaxed when Stovall killed a Hillcrest overpass  and ended when Hillcrest blocked the senior's next kill attempt, but Mauldin was up 4-1.  Several Mauldin errors narrowed the lead but Stovall kept swinging and connected on a set from Minor to make it 6-4.  Landers Aced the Lady Rams from the service line to 7-4 before the teams exchanged long services and attacks that sailed long to advance the scoreboard to 9-7.  Unger atoned for a blocking error with a kill off a set from Minor to make it 10-8.  Several long rallies ending in forced errors favored Hillcrest more than Mauldin, but after a Hillcrest kill attempt went wide, Senior Kim Minor went to the service line and generated a 9 point service run that saw kills from Brown and Granger, another block each from K. Brown and K. Faith, and a dozen digs by Landers, Granger, and senior Defensive Specialist Brandi Cessarich scored or kept long rallies alive until Hillcrest made a hitting error - which occurred 4 times in the run.  Mauldin's 20th point was awarded when Hillcrest was called for a lift, but Haun finally ended the run with a loud kill cross court through the Mauldin blockers to make it 20-12.  Down the stretch, the lady Mavs kept playing aggressive and matched the very fine defense and attack of Hillcrest kill for kill. Granger spiked a Minor set for Mauldin's 21st point, Haun connected for the Ram's 13th. Stovall pounded an assist put in place by Minor for the Lady Mavs 22nd and hit long to give the Rams their 14th. Sophomore lefty Katie Faith killed a Minor set for Mauldin's 23rd, then the Hillcrest team's middle forced the white spheroid to the Mauldin floor for their 14th point.  The Mauldin attack hit long again to help Hillcrest get to 16, but Stovall found the court with an emphatic driving spike off a set from Minor to put Game 3 in Mauldin's column 25-16.

At one game to two, Mauldin Coach Christy Plecha and her team had the momentum, the will, and the belief that they could come back and contend for this rivalry match.  Hillcrest's Coach, Lynn Avant, had some pointed words of "encouragement" and instruction for her team as well.   The lady Rams scored first after a long rally with a successful spike that caromed off the Lady Mav blockers and out of bounds. After an exchange of errors, Stovall spanked a Minor set cross court just beyond the 10-foot line for a Mauldin point.  Hillcrest's setter pushed a surprise dunk into the open and soft middle of the Maverick court for a Ram point.  Unger responded with a Kill point with an assist from Minor and the score was tied at 3-3.  The next two Hillcrest attacks scored but Senior Kim Minor thwarted a third with a diving dig that inspired her teammates and kept a long rally intact until it ended in a Hillcrest hit that went long.  Hillcrest got another kill point then served out and Mauldin trailed 5-7.  Minor was having a match to remember, over the next 15 points, she set Granger and Stovall twice each and Faith once with the results being kill points in all those 5 instances.  Minor had a match-high 31 assists in her final Volleyball game in a Maverick volleyball uniform.  In spite of Kim's heroics and some very fine play from the Mauldin defense (13 game 4 digs from Stovall, Landers, Granger, and Cessarich), the Hillcrest attack was dialed in and their passing and setting was putting on a clinic too.  Heading into the final stretch of game 4, Hillcrest led 11-18.  Unger scored a block point against Hillcrest to make it 12-18 and Granger smashed Mauldin's 13th point to the ram floor with help again from Minor.  Granger and minor hooked up two more times and Kristina Brown blocked a Hillcrest attack to keep Mauldin scoring and prevent any more unanswered runs by Hillcrest, but the Ram attack was in rhythm and its block was making its presence felt with regularity and they outscored the Mauldin netters down the stretch 4-7 with a powerful and impressive display of good volleyball.  Mauldin held its ground and forced long rallies as surprisingly few error points were scored by either team at this point in the match, but alas it was the more consistently forceful Hillcrest attack and blocking defense that prevailed as Hillcrest finished with a spike and a block point to take game 4 and the match 17-25.

With the win, Hillcrest would claim Region 2's second seed in the state tournament.  With the loss, Mauldin finished its season with a 45-40 game record and a 15-13 match record and would have to settle for a 5th place region finish. It was not because they didn’t play Hillcrest tough on this nigh.  The Lady Mavs played well and were beat on this night by a team playing better  They could look to an earlier match up at Hillcrest and another early at Boiling Springs if they wanted to fault themselves.  They could point to a game at Dorman and two against Byrnes at Mauldin if they wanted to blame someone else, but this team and group of fine young ladies and scholar athletes and their coaches have too much class and character to dwell on blame in any direction.  These Lady Mavs had a very respectable season and the Seniors among them can take pride in the most successful 4 year run in a decade for Mauldin Volleyball.  Congratulations Lady Mavs on a fine season.      You entertained us with highlights and kept us grounded through some disappointments.  You won tournaments and took games and matches from some of the best teams in the state!  You kept smiling, working hard, and believing in yourselves and your teammates when you dropped matches we all knew you could have and should have won.  You are a classy group of young ladies that make your fans and parents proud of you on the court and in the classroom for what you have done and can do ...but even more for who you have been and are on the inside through it all.  Good luck Lady Mavs

      GAME 1: Mauldin 17  -  Hillcrest 25

      GAME 2: Mauldin 17  -  Hillcrest 25

      GAME 3: Mauldin 25  -  Hillcrest 16

      GAME 4: Mauldin 17  -  Hillcrest 25

SEASON STATS

CHECK OUT THE PHOTO GALLERIES:

Carolina Forest Tournament      Westside

Riverside/Eastside     Greenville

GIRLS WIN CAROLINA FOREST TOURNAMENT - AUGUST 29

See pictures from the tournament

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GETTING READY FOR THE SEASON

The team spent last Tuesday at the Granger pool.  Pictured are as follows:

Back Row - Left to Right:  Dana Landers, Melissa Ungar, Kayla Whitten, Emily Cooper, Kristina Brown.

Front Row: Heather Granger, Chloe Ewing, Katie Faith, Kim Minor, Brandy Cessarich, Laura Woodlee, Chelsea Scott

Missing - Jordan Stovall - Jordan where were you?

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