Volleyball: Crane outlasts Kermit in 4-2A battle

CRANE The programs said it was Crane vs. Kermit.

On the court, though, it appeared to be Crane’s Summer Sutherland vs. Kermit’s Brittany Hieser.

On the scoreboard, Sutherland won this round as the Ladybirds defeated the Lady Jackets 23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 20-25, 15-12 in a District 4-2A volleyball showdown at the Crane Fieldhouse.

Sutherland and Hieser went back and forth at the net, but the shorter Sutherland came out on top, coming up with two key Game 5 kills and a block.

“She tries to get into my head,” Sutherland said. “She may be tall, but not out of the ordinary. She can be beat just like everyone else. It’s the best feeling to block her and put a kill down when someone is that big it makes it 10 times better.”

Sutherland finished with 16 kills, five blocks, eight digs and an ace in the victory.

“When someone stands out as much as she does of course she’s a focus,” Crane head coach Julie Etheredge said of Kermit’s Heiser. “But we focused more on the whole team. They have a strong outside attack and they play good defense.”

While the Ladybirds (20-8 overall, 4-1 district) tried to figure out how to stop a Kermit team that had defeated them twice already this season, Sutherland was just happy to have an opportunity to play.

The junior dislocated her shoulder twice during her sophomore volleyball season and was forced to play the district schedule with a brace, which limited movement in her shoulder.

This season, though, she is healthy and was glad to help the Ladybirds stay in the race for the district title.

“It’s amazing this year,” Sutherland said. “I can’t even describe it because volleyball is what I love to do.”

Crane and Kermit are tied atop the District 4-2A standings with one match left in the season. Crane plays at Alpine and Kermit faces Van Horn.

If both Crane and Kermit win, a playoff or a coin flip would determine the champion.

“We waited too long to get started,” Kermit head coach Dee Molinar said. “That last game started out with a missed serve and we played tough, but our passes were not there. We need to learn to finish and play hard the whole game.”

On Tuesday, the Ladybirds were able to bounce back from a tough Game 1 loss as well as blowing an 8-2 lead in the fifth game.

Crane’s Ellie Garcia finished with eight kills, two blocks, four assists, eight digs and five aces.

Jaci Corley added six kills, four blocks, 35 assists, six digs and four aces.

“We really stepped up mentally,” Sutherland said. “Our fans were amazing and really made a

difference. Losing the first game was kind of nerve-wracking because that is usually our best game and then we don’t play as well in the second game, but it worked out in the long run.”