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Cobras Making Coach Happy

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By EDDIE DANIELS

edaniels@tampatrib.com

Published: October 23, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Some may have worried the Hudson of old was nowhere around this season. Well, Hudson coach Linda McQuade has witnessed signs of that juggernaut of late.

The Cobras (16-7 entering tonight's matchup at Ridgewood) have received a solid effort from setter Lisa Kerns and hitters Shannon Zasloff, Katy McGee, Jessica Imbimbo and Cara Carley and taking big swings and knocking down those Kerns' assists.

If it has to be said, yes, McQuade is a happy coach.

"Last night against Wesley Chapel I saw some really good things," McQuade said. "They're starting to get the grasp of what we're talking about when it comes to putting the ball away, taking charge on the court. That's something they were a little reluctant to do in the beginning. Just kind of going along like it was a song."

If McQuade has her way, from this point on, the song they sing will be the one of their choosing.

"Two of the hitters played last year Imbimbo and Zasloff and the other two we picked up from JV and they've worked really hard," McQuade said. "They're starting to hit some nice shots; strategic shots, not just to hit it. They're starting to be able to see the court before they go up. That's starting to be a key for us."

Zasloff leads the Cobras with 121 kills, followed by McGee (107) and Imbimbo (96).

IT'S GO TIME: As much as coaches say they want their teams to be firing on all cylinders at this time of the season, it's one thing to say and it's another to see it happen.

Seems it's happening for River Ridge.

The Royal Knights traveled to Bradenton to participate in Southeast High's Lady Noles Tournament (Oct. 17-18). The squad knocked off Sarasota Booker, Sarasota Cardinal Mooney and Belleview to win its pool.

They then beat host Southeast and faced Niceville in the Gold Bracket final, which River Ridge lost, 25-20, 25-15. Entering tonight's game at Zephyrhills, River Ridge has won eight of its last 10 matches.

"We played well," River Ridge coach Heidi Castelamare said. "Some of the teams there weren't as strong, but we had a pretty decent pool. Cardinal Mooney was like 9-3 and had good competition and Belleview, before we played them, was 16-1. And Southeast had one or two losses.

"We needed a good tournament at this time, we needed to bring our level of play back up to get ready for postseason play."

In those five matches, Brianna Rish collected 48 digs, followed by Gabriella Gonzalez (46), Alex Laton (38) and Irene Townsend (32). Meanwhile, Laton led the team with her 42 kills. Leah Mitchell recorded 30 kills. Gonzalez, who served up 13 aces, also recorded 46 assists, followed by Sarah Junot's 31 assists. Mitchell led the team with 14 aces.

ON A ROLL: Ridgewood ripped off four consecutive victories prior to Wednesday night's match against Mitchell. They'll take on Hudson tonight.

Leading into those big matchups, Rams coach Amber Starkey is more than happy with the leadership she has received from her upperclassmen and the consistent play, which has begun to prevail.

"The girls are playing really well right now," Starkey said of her team, the Class 5A-Distrct 7 No. 2 seed. "They're playing as a team, having a lot of fun, You can see the improvement from the beginning of the season to this part of the season."

Sarangelys Cruz has been consistent "across the board," while MH Lauren Vanker has been strong at the net and Brittany Martin has added another level of solid play to the Rams lineup.

As for ending the regular season with the likes of Hudson and Mitchell, Starkey welcomes the challenge.

"The last two games of our season with Hudson and Mitchell, they're going to be tough games for us, but the girls are playing well right now and it'll be nice to play them right before the district tournament," she said. "That'll help prepare us for the tournament. We'll have good competition right before the tournament."

DISTRICT TIME: Local district tournaments will begin Monday. Here's a listing of locations and teams involved:

Class 6A-District 7 at Gaither: First game Tuesday, 6 p.m.; Championship, Oct. 30, 7 p.m.; Teams: Alonso, Countryside, Gaither, Mitchell, St. Petersburg, Sickles.

Class 5A-District 7 at Ridgewood: First game, Tuesday, 6 p.m.; Championship, Oct. 30, 6 p.m.; Teams: Central, Land O'Lakes, Ridgewood, River Ridge, Wesley Chapel.

Class 4A-District 8 at Wiregrass Ranch: First game, Monday, 6:30 p.m.; Championship, Oct. 30, 7 p.m.; Teams: Gulf, Hernando, Hudson, Nature Coast, Pasco, Springstead, Sunlake, Wiregrass, Zephyrhills.

Class 2A-District 9 at Tampa Prep: First game, Tuesday, 6 p.m.; Championship, Oct. 30, 7 p.m.; Teams: Bishop McLaughlin, Calvary Christian, Indian Rocks Christian, Tampa Prep.

Class 1A-District 9 at Academy at the Lakes: First game, Monday, 5 p.m.; Championship, Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m.; Teams: Academy at the Lakes, Canterbury, Carrollwood, Citrus Park Christian, Lakeside Christian, Oldsmar Christian.

VOLLEYBALL STATS: For a complete list of the Bay area's volleyball stat leaders or even the state's top performers, visit www2.tbo.com/sports/preps/.

Coaches who want to add their team's information can submit their entries to Eddie Daniels by calling (813) 948-4214 or e-mailing edaniels@tampatrib.com.

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