| Marion Franklin Volleyball |
By GEZUS ZAIRE
Staff Reporter
Marion Franklin (2-1) fought hard but came up short in its home opener.
Madison Plains defeated Marion Franklin 3-2 (25-20, 25-19, 19-25, 22-25, 15-12) on Monday, Aug.
25.
“Their effort was absolutely wonderful,” said coach Cheri Bowman. “We were down two games
and I told them [before the] third game, if we want to take this any further we have to get it right off
of the bat. I have no problem losing this match because we went to five [game] and we took them
all the way to the very end.
“We never laid down and we never gave up. That’s the biggest thing I tell my girls. We fight back
from beginning to end. I don’t care what the score is. Don’t look at the score. You play until the last
whistle is blown.”
Seniors Deseree Pritchard and Catrice Mitchell led the Marion Franklin comeback after it dropped
the first two games of the match. Pritchard, a 5-4 setter, was not afraid to mix it up in the front row
as she battled the bigger players on the opposite side of the net. Mitchell, 6-1, assaulted Madison
plains with brutal kills. Mitchell hits with the power of a NCAA Division I player.
“Actually Catrice didn’t start playing volleyball until her sophomore year,” Bowman said. “She’s a
basketball player. She has more people looking at her for basketball than volleyball. I tell her
volleyball could actually be her sport. She’s come a long way since being a sophomore and not
playing any organized volleyball.”
Mitchell’s height poses an intimidating presence, but her quick leaping and swing prolonged the
night’s festivities.
“I’ve seen her grow as far as getting aggressive and physical on the court – learning how to time
herself and get her hits down,” Bowman said. “She’s so powerful, if her timing isn’t right she hits a
lot of her balls long. I’ve been working with her to not try to place the ball but hit the ball straight
down. She’s gotten better with her bumps on the floor and hitting the floor. It’s hard for tall people
to play the back row. Most teams let their tall people play the front row. Playing for me you have to
be able to play every where. She has grown in that aspect because in the back row I can count on
her now to hit the floor.”
Despite their mistakes down the stretch, Bowman’s team kept a positive attitude which is a good
sign for a successful season.
“Overall the team in general focus’ as one,” Bowman said. “We don’t have just one leader. The
thing is if somebody gets down on themselves, you got to be able to pick them up. The biggest
thing I tell them also is you have to be able to pick yourself up before anybody can say anything to
you … They don’t totally get down on themselves.”
Staff Reporter
Marion Franklin (2-1) fought hard but came up short in its home opener.
Madison Plains defeated Marion Franklin 3-2 (25-20, 25-19, 19-25, 22-25, 15-12) on Monday, Aug.
25.
“Their effort was absolutely wonderful,” said coach Cheri Bowman. “We were down two games
and I told them [before the] third game, if we want to take this any further we have to get it right off
of the bat. I have no problem losing this match because we went to five [game] and we took them
all the way to the very end.
“We never laid down and we never gave up. That’s the biggest thing I tell my girls. We fight back
from beginning to end. I don’t care what the score is. Don’t look at the score. You play until the last
whistle is blown.”
Seniors Deseree Pritchard and Catrice Mitchell led the Marion Franklin comeback after it dropped
the first two games of the match. Pritchard, a 5-4 setter, was not afraid to mix it up in the front row
as she battled the bigger players on the opposite side of the net. Mitchell, 6-1, assaulted Madison
plains with brutal kills. Mitchell hits with the power of a NCAA Division I player.
“Actually Catrice didn’t start playing volleyball until her sophomore year,” Bowman said. “She’s a
basketball player. She has more people looking at her for basketball than volleyball. I tell her
volleyball could actually be her sport. She’s come a long way since being a sophomore and not
playing any organized volleyball.”
Mitchell’s height poses an intimidating presence, but her quick leaping and swing prolonged the
night’s festivities.
“I’ve seen her grow as far as getting aggressive and physical on the court – learning how to time
herself and get her hits down,” Bowman said. “She’s so powerful, if her timing isn’t right she hits a
lot of her balls long. I’ve been working with her to not try to place the ball but hit the ball straight
down. She’s gotten better with her bumps on the floor and hitting the floor. It’s hard for tall people
to play the back row. Most teams let their tall people play the front row. Playing for me you have to
be able to play every where. She has grown in that aspect because in the back row I can count on
her now to hit the floor.”
Despite their mistakes down the stretch, Bowman’s team kept a positive attitude which is a good
sign for a successful season.
“Overall the team in general focus’ as one,” Bowman said. “We don’t have just one leader. The
thing is if somebody gets down on themselves, you got to be able to pick them up. The biggest
thing I tell them also is you have to be able to pick yourself up before anybody can say anything to
you … They don’t totally get down on themselves.”
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