JOHN CURTIS - Daily Union Sports Editor
In 2008, Pana upset Shelbyville (30-5) in the first match of regional. Tonight, in the first match of regional, the 2009 Rams (24-11) avenged their graduated teammates, turning the tables and upsetting Pana (30-5), 25-23, 23-25, 32-30.
Shelbyville (24-11) came into the Carlinville 2A Volleyball Regional as the #2 seed and up against arch rival Pana (30-5) who had been seeded #3. But as the match started, Pana introduced first like the visitors, was the home team on the scoreboard. The seeding committee and the regional hosts unwittingly participated in the how convolutedly equal this #2/#3 match would turn out to be.
There were 17 ties in game one. The two teams tied at 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, 10-10, 11-11, 12-12. Shelby took a lead, but Pana caught them at 16-16, 17-17, 19-19, 21-21, 22-22. Then Shelby's Shannon Boone killed for two of the last three points in the 2-point Game 1 Ram win.
Shelby got an early 8-2 lead in Game 2, but Pana would accordion back and forth to challenge until the Panthers caught them at 21-21 and passed them.As the game came to crunch time they tied again at 23-23, before Pana's top hitter, Katie Lees put an end to the second 2-point game in Pana's favor.
The teams tied at 5-5, 6-6, in Game 3, then Pana had to chase again. The Panthers finally caught the Rams at 19-19, from that point the two teams tied 11 more times, 20-20, 21-21, 23-23, 24-24, 25-25, 26-26, 27-27, 28-28, 29-29, 30-30. Shelby's Taylor Rhodes then scored on a match-up she had scored on all night, swinging at a double block from the outside and scoring on the ricochet off the block. The math was won on the next point when a previously unstoppable Lees, was blocked on the outside and the ball came bak on her. She got a hand up, but the ball caromed to the sideline for a Shelby point, match point.
*Watch for web updates with more pictures, a complete story and official stats Friday.
