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Cobras Display Calm In Comeback

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By EDDIE DANIELS

edaniels@tampatrib.com

Published: November 6, 2008

HUDSON - From a cursory glance at the Hudson volleyball roster, one would think rough situations would rattle the group.

Tuesday night, the Cobras dropped the opening game of the Class 4A-Region 2 quarterfinal match to Groveland South Lake only to storm back, advancing to Tuesday's semifinals with a 23-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-20 victory. They will face Orlando Bishop Moore (22-7), which beat 4A-District 7 runner-up Nature Coast.

The opening game wasn't much reason for Hudson's collection of 11 juniors, two seniors and one freshman to be alarmed. They just needed a few short moments of focus.

"Once we get down, we always say, 'One step at a time,'" Hudson junior left side hitter Cara Carley said. "One pass, one set, one kill. One serve receive. When we're down and we're getting worked up, we take a second, regroup and come together as a team again."

That mantra served its purpose after the Cobras (21-7) blew an 11-5 advantage in that opening game. The Eagles eventually tied the match at 13 on a Hudson set which fell to the floor. Hudson later tied the match on an errant South Lake kill, but the Eagles regrouped to close out Game 1.

The remainder of the match was a Hudson clinic on digging up an opponent's attack, while playing well at the net. Middle hitters Katy McGee and Shannon Zasloff collected nine and four blocks, respectively, while Hallie Bislick had 35 digs and libero Jessica Christianson had nine digs.

"I'm really impressed with how they played with a lot of heart," Hudson coach Linda McQuade said. "They work hard."

The defensive work translated into offense for the Cobras. With each dig, sets were made all over the court, opening up attacks on the left and right sides as well as in the middle.
Carley led the team with 11 kills, followed by Zasloff's 10 and McGee's eight.

Following a timeout in Game 2 with the Cobras ahead, 15-10, Hudson setter Lisa Kerns immediately found openings, first on the left side to Hallie Bislick and then in the middle to Zasloff. That game ended with a Jessica Imbimbo kill on the left side of the attack.

This postseason marks a comeback year for the Cobras, who return to the playoffs after sitting out last season. That was the first time the team hadn't been involved in postseason play in at least a dozen seasons.

Now that they're back, last week winning the program's 10{+t}{+h} district title in the process, McQuade is excited to see what her young group has to offer.

"New beginnings," McQuade said. "I think the girls know what the program's all about. They tried to change. I have a couple who were on that team in 2007 and really didn't like the things that went on and they tried to change some of the things they didn't like. They've done a really good job doing that."

She'll find out how well Tuesday when they host Bishop Moore.

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214.

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