Published: October 25, 2009 02:35 am      

VOLLEYBALL: New Washington wins Class A sectional

BORDEN — At 5-foot-6, New Washington outside hitter Lindsay Krohn hardly cuts an imposing figure on the volleyball court.

But Krohn, an outstanding athlete with a background in gymnastics, swung the big stick in Saturday night’s Class A sectional final against host Borden.

Krohn finished with 17 kills, four blocks and three service aces in the Mustangs (18-12) surprising three-set win over the Braves (22-13), 25-23, 25-14, 25-17.

“This was a goal at the beginning of the season for our team, so I wasn’t going to let that stop me,” Krohn, a senior, said when asked about her height disadvantage against the Borden front line, particularly Allison Rademacher and Erin Mikel, who both stand nearly 6 feet tall.

The Braves were competitive in the first set, rallying to come to within one of game point after falling behind 22-15. Two missed returns off Mikel’s serve and a service ace narrowed the score to 24-23, but her serve

to tie sailed long and the Mustangs captured the first game, 25-23.

New Washington sprinted ahead 11-0 early in the second game behind the service of junior setter Casey Johnson, who compiled seven aces in building that lead.

The Braves were never able to get it closer than 22-14 the rest of the way as the Mustangs cruised to a 25-14 win in the second.

Johnson’s aces were part of a 17-ace assault on the Braves.

“(Borden coach D.J. Zipp) and I talked briefly after the match, and they struggled with some serves tonight they normally don’t,” New Washington coach Gary Graham said. “We were effective in spots, and we were fortunate in spots, but our service game was more consistent tonight than it normally is, and that was key.”

During the third game, the Mustangs inched away from the Braves once again behind the hitting of Krohn and the service of Kayla Shackelford, on whose serve New Washington increased a 15-11 advantage to a 20-11 cushion during a run that included three aces. It was 24-14 when Borden attempted a late rally, aided by some mistakes on the Mustangs side of the net and an ace by Rademacher that narrowed the gap to 24-17. But a kill by Johnson ended the match, and the Mustangs celebrated their third-straight win immediately after on the court.

Zipp credited New Washington for their intensity and play, and said the Mustangs were simply the better team last night.

“Lindsay is an amazing player, and she played great, but really their whole team flat-out whipped us,” Zipp said. “They serve-received well all night, and we didn’t. They got their attack set up, they passed, and we couldn’t stop them. We ran into a buzzsaw, and I take my hat off to them.”

In their morning match against Lanesville, the Braves showed a lot of moxie in coming from behind a 2-0 game deficit to reach the championship. Zipp said he was proud of his squad and the Braves’ season.

“We’re not disappointed about the season at all,” he said. “As long as the girls go out and try hard, and have a little bit of fun along the way, that’s all I ask.”