Cougars snap Cyclones’ streak

Ron Counts, Staff Writer
Published: September 18, 2008

Eastern View confidently arrived on its home court Thursday, looking to improve on a three-game Battlefield District winning streak, but Courtland senior Karina Monroe had other plans.

Monroe showed off her strength and led Courtland with 12 kills and five aces to a 3-0 (25-5, 25-8, 25-16) win over the Cyclones.

“She’s just a monster of an athlete,” Courtland coach Bob Hott said of Monroe. “She’s probably the best athlete Courtland has had in volleyball in the last ten years.”

The Cyclones may have lost, but that wasn’t the first thing on their minds. In fact, it wasn’t even the second.

Before the game, Eastern View captain Ashleigh Johnson, and her mother Shelia, honored her fallen brother in a moving ceremony.

After the playing of the national anthem, an American flag and an engraved plaque, both of which will hang in the Cyclones’ gym, were presented in honor of Navy veteran SP5 Bedford “Sam” Curry who passed away in 1988.

“I’m just really honored,” Johnson said. “I miss him so much. It’s going to mean a lot to me and my mom to see the flag on the wall for years.”

Also on the forefront of most of the Cyclones’ minds was Johnson’s injury that will likely sideline her for the remainder of the season. She dislocated her shoulder over the weekend while playing on a travel softball team.

“Being that she’s a captain, we’re missing a lot of leadership without her,” EVHS coach Betty Jo Utz said. “It’s like what happens to a wall when you take out [art of the foundation.”

After struggling mightily in the first two games, the Cyclones (3-8 overall, 3-1 in the district) seemed to find their stride early in game three. Tori Johnson — who led Eastern View with three kills and eight digs — scored on a powerful kill to tie the game 4-4.

But Monroe would have none of it. She answered with a potent kill of her own to give Courtland (10-1, 4-1) the lead once again. A few volleys later, she extended the lead with a sneaky lob over the heads of the Cyclones’ front-line defenders.

“Karina is a fast leaper and has a strong shot,” Hott said. “She may not be the tallest kid, but she sure jumps like one.”

Later in the game, Courtland senior Tara Willging continued the scoring with a kill that landed just inside the back foul line to give the Cougars a 13-6 lead. Willging finished with five kills, and Stephanie Day added seven kills.

EVHS junior Shelby Lukachik pounded three aces in a row, and added a kill in an effort to keep the Cyclones in the final game, but Monroe come through in the end with a kill that reverberated throughout the gym to secure the win for the Cougars.

“They were a lot stronger than anyone else we’ve faced this year,” Utz said of Courtland. “We have to be aware that we have a lot of tough games coming up. This was just a small taste of what we can expect from the district.”

They may have been beaten on the court, but Utz said her team learned a valuable lesson from the pregame ceremonies.

“It showed them that we represent more than just our volleyball team,” she said. “We’re here for the school and for the community.”

Ron Counts can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 166 or

Chasing the storm?
Who: EVHS vs. Chancellor
When: Sept. 29 at 7 p.m.
Where: Chancellor High School