That big green Gator, in the middle of the gym floor, seemed to be baring his teeth as the game began.  The Lady Gators got out fast and furious with the first 3 points.  The Lady Wildcats were kept on defense by Kelsey Merritt’s “kills” and Dickinson held the edge, 5-1, 6-3, 6-5, 14-12.

            About that time Creek unleashed Madeline Gaffney and Ellen Shoemaker, who began raining down “kills” like candy from a busted Pinata.  The game was tied 14-14 and then the Creek girls slowly tried to pull away from a fiery determined bunch of Lady Gators.  Creek took the lead 19-17, 22-17, and finally slammed shut the victory 25-18.  The Lady Wildcats had a whopping 19 “kills” in the first game, to Dickinson’s 10.

            Game two began with Creek scoring first and Dickinson tied it up 1-1.  This game did not feature as many “kills” but was more of a grind, with players ricocheting balls off body parts and wayward hits by both teams.  Creek pulled away slowly and steadily, 3-1, 73, 12-3, 14-7, 18-9. 20-10. The final 5 points the Lady Gators dug in and made Creek earn them all, finally giving in at 25-13.

            With game three looming before them the Lady Gators had their backs up against the wall.  If Creek won this game the match was over for Dickinson.  The Lady Gators came out focused and scored the first point, and then led 3-2.  Kelsey Merritt and Shelbee Berringer were playing very well.  Creek turned the intensity up a notch when Amanda Watson got into the act, smashing a few big hits down.  The game was tied at 4 apiece when Rachel Hobaugh brought her electrifying swing into the action, destroying spikes, and almost wounding a few fans.  Creek took heed and the momentum changed in their favor, taking the lead, 8-4, 12-5, 14-9, 16-10, 19-14.

            The Lady Gators battled back each time.  The Creek attack was too much and the Lady Wildcats fierce devastating “kills” won them more advantage, leading 22-14, and then Creek’s Amanda Watson made a monster block and Creek surged ahead, 23-17.  The Lady Gators valiantly battled back, 23-19, but it was too late.  The Lady Wildcats were in their groove and struck mercilessly into the heart of the Lady Gators defense, winning 25-19 with a definitive “kill” by Madeline Gaffney for the Game winning point!

            Lady Gator “kill” leaders: 

Kelsey Merritt             11

Shelbee Berringer       4

Lady Wildcats “kill” leaders:

Madeline Gaffney        12

Cherish Krohn             10

Amanda Watson          7

Rachel Hobaugh          5

Clear Creek took the match in three games and the Lady Gators gave a great fight.  Clear Creek is now 8-3 in District play and trail Clear Brook and Clear Lake, while Dickinson is 3-8.