Volleyball: Wildcats play tough, fall to Venice in regionals

Estero High School fans, many of them arriving fashionably late after making the 70-mile drive for their team's Class 5A-Region 3 quarterfinal matchup on Nov. 4, were forced to crumple up the distributed "Point Venice" signs and ignore the ringing cow bells in the stands, hoping their respectable contingent could somehow spur the underdogs.

As for Coach Matt Hagen and the girls, well, they knew that coming off a lopsided season-ending loss in Fort Myers, they would have their hands full with the 25-2 Indians.

Although they were unable to pull off what would have been a momentous upset in "Indian Territory," the Lady Wildcats were able to accomplish something that few squads have this season: they took a little swagger out of an overconfident Venice step.

Ultimately, the favorites proved too much for Estero, despite the help of Veronika Hrustincova's eight straight service points in a hard-fought second game. The Wildcats dropped three straight, 25-12, 25-19, 25-16.

"I wasn't surprised by our slow start," Hagen said of his team's sluggish opening, as they quickly fell behind the hosts 12-3 in the first contest. "I was confident, and we've always fought hard against the big teams. We've had leads in the big matches, but pushing through was always the key."

It was during the pivotal second game, when Estero (21-6) scored seven straight points to take a 10-3 lead, that the smaller Wildcats had Venice looking vulnerable and confused.

"I thought we were going to make a comeback and take that win," said senior Melissa Trippany, who called the second-game loss the turning point in the contest. "We had seen them play in that first game and I thought that we could take them."

The Wildcats relinquished the early cushion, as well as a 19-15 advantage later in the game, due largely to the net play of Venice's 5-foot, 11-inch Danielle Durham and 6-footer Lisa Hough.

"We prepared ourselves early in the season for it, but we're undersized and we've been undersized all year," Hagen said of his team's size disadvantage.

"We had our chances and we knew we needed to play our best. They're a good team and I'm proud of my girls. They fought right to the end; they couldn't give up."

Taylor Lee added six kills for the Wildcats, whose coach and players, although disappointed with the first round elimination, said they are pleased with their successful 2003 campaign.

"They're a good team, but we played well and gave them a game, so I'm happy," said Trippany, who played her final game in a Wildcat uniform. "We stepped up from last year and I'm very proud of them. It's the toughest district ever, so you've got to be proud of the girls."

Hagen said he was proud of his team's effort in the final game, especially considering the hostile surroundings.

"This was fun," the coach said of the noise produced by the nearly 800 in attendance. "It didn't affect our team at all. I think it's more fun, definitely a better atmosphere.

"Twenty-one wins hasn't happened at Estero in a long time. We're in a tough district and a tough region. We just had No. 3 Fort Myers and Venice is No. 1, so it's just a bad path for us. But we were much improved this year."

(Contact Sports Editor Dana Oppedisano at 213-6045 or doppedisano@naplesnews.com )