Southaven knocks MHS out of state playoffs

By By Jeff Byrd/staff writer
October 13, 2002
The twin towers of power helped Southaven sweep Meridian from the state volleyball playoffs here Saturday afternoon at the Meridian High Physical Education Building.
Southaven won the first-round match in two games beating the Lady Wildcats 15-12 in game one and 15-7 in the clincher. Southaven, now 21-8, will advance on to the state quarterfinals against Tupelo who beat St. Andrews on Saturday.
For Meridian, the playoff loss brings to an end a school-record winning season. The Lady Wildcats finish the season at 21-3.
Meridian just did not have an answer for Southaven's Becky Getske and 6-foot-3 Ashley Besigner. The two Lady Chargers patrolled the net and accounted for most of the Southaven kills.
Meridian head coach Susan Frazier was disappointed with the loss, but thanked her team for a great season.
Meridian's best chance at a breakthrough came in game one. Behind the serve of Megan Mendiola, the Lady Wildcats reeled off five straight points to erase an 8-7 deficit and take a 12-8 lead. Mendiola had three aces in the service run while Kirsten Gambrell had a pair of kills.
Southaven, however, answered when Paige Wright took over serve. Meridian made return errors on a couple of her serves and then she got kills from Besinger and Megan Shackleford to tie the game at 12-all.
Following a pair of side outs, Southaven resumed the attack getting a pair of points off serve. Then they got the game-winner when Besinger made a block at the net to make it 15-12.
In game two, Mendiola hit a pair of serves to give Meridian a 2-0 lead. But Southaven answered with seven straight points to take a commanding 7-2 lead.
Paige Wright made a pair of kills while the hard-hitting Getske added two spikes to key the spurt.
Following a Meridian point by Jet'Aime Ross, the Southaven pair scored two more points to up the lead to 9-3.
Kills by Delisha McClelland and Gambrell brought Meridian back to 9-5 but Southaven regrabbed control by taking six of the next seven points. Two net spikes by Besigner and an ace from Megan Shackleford extended the Lady Chargers' edge to 14-6.
A good spike by McClelland accounted for Meridian's final point of the match to make it 14-7. But following the side out, Wright delivered the ace to finish off the match at 15-7.