By Joseph Bell

Record Staff Writer

JOHNSONBURG – Visiting Union slapped the Johnsonburg Ramettes with an early playoff exit last night in the first round of the District 9 Class A volleyball playoffs in a 3-1 (23-25, 15-25, 25-21, 18-25) match.

According to Johnsonburg coach Bill Shuey, his team committed several errors which led to their demise.

"If you look back to the first set, we had them 23-23 and we missed a serve," Shuey said. "Who knows what would've happened had we won the first set."

After five consecutive service points by Union senior Melissa Shook gave the visitors a 11-6 lead, the Ramettes slowly chipped away at the lead. Johnsonburg sophomore Justis Myers contributed five service points of her own to give her team a 13-12 lead, aided by a kill by fellow sophomore Cody Anderson.

Down 22-19 late in the third set, two service points by Johnsonburg senior Bobbi Pritt pulled the Ramettes to within a point. A kill by Johnsonburg junior Shatara Fowler again pulled the Ramettes to within a point before a hit by Union sophomore Tina Lipps sailed over the serving line, tying the set.

However, a botched serve gave Union the lead and eventually the first set, 25-23.

"I thought we gave it away," Shuey said. "But I also thought they gave the third set away, it's either or, and I think anybody really could've won this match if we had put our heads together and played with some sense of confidence, but I don't think we did that tonight. We didn't have our A-game tonight."

After Union cruised to a 25-15 second set win, the two teams matched each other shot-for-shot en route to a 19-19 tie late in the set, courtesy of a tip by Union junior Brooke Pollock to knot the score.

After a kill by Anderson, thus giving Johnsonburg the 20-19 lead, Justis Myers delivered three more service points, aided by consecutive kills by Anderson, to snag a 23-19 lead. Later in the set, Anderson delivered another kill to take a 24-20 advantage. The Ramettes took the third set 25-21 to stay alive in the match.

However, Union continued to press going into the fourth set, breaking an early 8-8 tie and grabbing a lead which they would never concede.

After a kill by Anderson cut the lead to three points, Union delivered at the net with a block by Union sophomore Ashley MacKinlay and a subsequent kill by Lipps to take a 17-11 advantage. Three more service points from Lipps extended the lead to 22-13 before Johnsonburg senior Becky Launer scored a point at the net to disrupt the streak. Three more service points from Pritt gave the Ramettes hope but a kill from Pollock quickly extinguished the home team's playoff flame.

"It all boils down to playing the game and playing it with some sense of intensity and confidence and keeping the emotionalism out of it," Shuey said. "You have got to stay focused and I don't think we were focused tonight."

Shuey also said he was disappointed in the game's officiating, particularly the first set, which saw his team get penalized for six carries at the net.

"I was a little disappointed that for some reason the referee thought that people weren't listening to him blow the whistle and I think he went a little bit overboard," Shuey said. "I mean, all season you don't do that and then all of a sudden, you get into a game like this, and sometimes, that kills the momentum so I was a little disappointed in that but that wasn't the reason for the outcome of the game."

Despite the season-ending defeat, Shuey said he was still quite proud of his departing seniors.

"Our three seniors, Keila Miller, Becky Launer and Bobbi Pritt, they've been with the program for four years and they've been a joy to be around," Shuey said. "I feel bad that their season had to end sooner than they would have liked it to but I'm proud of them and they did a nice job."

With the loss, the Ramettes finished with a final record of 13-5, along with a 12-4 league mark.