Published: September 03, 2008 10:32 am      

Almost had it

Duncan volleyball team drops home opener

DUNCAN — The Duncan volleyball team located the enemy Tuesday, and it was themselves.

Leading seventh-ranked Lawton Mac 20-11 in the third game of a tied match, the Lady Demons shot themselves in the foot repeatedly with unforced errors and dropped the game, and, ultimately, the match to the Lady Highlanders 18-25, 25-12, 27-25, 25-13 in their first home match of the year. The loss dropped Duncan to 4-6 on the season.

“We gave it away,” Duncan coach Randi Pawpa said. “We didn’t stay focused. We’ve just got to be more aggressive to the ball when we hit it. That was a top team in the state and it showed how close we can be.”

The match started off poorly, as Lawton Mac jumped out to a 6-0 lead on the strength of three aces. A tip by Taylor Spradlin put the Lady Demons on the board and momentum swung in the home team’s favor as Amber Truax turned in a couple of aces of her own.

A kill by Jill Spradlin tied the game at nine and Duncan continued to turn on the pressure, building the lead to 13-9.

Lawton Mac came back to tie the game at 15, but unforced errors took it out of the game, as the Lady Demons rolled out to a 25-18 win to take a 1-0 lead.

The Lady Highlanders rebounded nicely in the second game, breaking a 3-3 tie with a five-point run.

The closest Duncan would get in the match was six points on a Mac service error at 18-12 but it would not matter as the Lady Highlanders ripped off a seven-point run to clinch the second game.

Tied at 1-1, the match hung in the balance in the third game and it appeared as if Duncan was ready to make a statement.

Three consecutive aces by Sarah Gregg lifted the Lady Demons to a 9-7 lead.

The lead was extended to 20-11 on a combination of Duncan forcing the action and Lawton Mac committing hitting errors.

Leading 21-13, the rally started innocently enough when the Lady Demons hit one into the net and then let a free ball drop because of miscommunication. Pawpa called for a timeout, but at that point, the cat was out of the bag.

Lawton Mac tied the game at 24-24, and held off game point to score the last three points of the game, two on hitting errors.

Leading 2-1, the Lady Highlanders took a 9-3 lead in the fourth game with a six-point run, putting the Lady Demons out of the game early and cruising to take the match.

Duncan will return to action Thursday when it travels to Chickasha.