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Crusaders sacrifice Highland
By Geoff Cox • Staff Writer
 | | Cindy Hull gets into the action in front of the net and sends a point over for the Rams. |
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MONTEREY — The Ridgeview Christian Crusaders overcame a broken-down bus and a solid Highland lead to force a tiebreaking game and beat the lady Rams 25- 20, 20-25, 25-18, 6-25, 9-15, in Highland's season opener Tuesday evening.
The game started a half-hour late because of the Crusader's delay but the Crusaders must have warmed up on the bus as Ridgeview took a 9-3 lead in the early going. However, six straight service points by Highland's Emily Wagner had the Rams back in the mix and tied the game at nine.
The game went back and forth until Sarah Bradley took service with a slim Ram lead, 22-20. Bradley sent over an ace to cushion the lead and after a long Crusader return the Rams won the first game.
The team switched sides and the second game took the opposite direction. The Rams jumped ahead first behind good net play by Bradley and Cindy Hull but the Crusaders tied it at 11. The teams exchanged scoring spurts until Ridgeview finally pushed ahead, 23-18, to take the win and tie the match.
 | | Highland sophomore Janna Folks taps a shot up and over for a point in the second game against Ridgeview. The Rams won the first and third game but the Crusaders forced a tie-breaker by taking the fourth game and won the match. |
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The third game continued the trend of exchanging the lead until a tip kill by Wagner gave Highland a comfortable five-point margin, 20-15. A running one-hander by Hull for a point and an ace by Bradley sealed the deal.
A five-game match is only required in district competition, but the courteous lady Rams kept playing.
The extra two games were just what the Crusaders were searching for and they ran the Rams through.
In game four the teams exchanged service errors for six points. When the Crusaders turn to serve came up again they astonishingly served out the rest of the game and won without a returned serve.
Frustrated the Rams fell behind early in the fifth-game tiebreaker 9-2 with the net accounting for most of the scoring and succumbed to the jubilant Crusaders.
 | | Right: Highland lady Ram Sarah Bradley serves the ball in Tuesday's narrow loss to the Ridgeview Christian Crusaders. |
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The Rams (0-1) play today (Thursday) at Pendleton and have a rematch with the Wildcats at home Monday. Both contests start at 6 p.m.
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