Strasburg – Revenge was a dish that had to be served to exact specifications Monday night for Strasburg.
The Indians, ranked No. 3 in The Denver Post/9News Class 3A poll, had to sweep fourth-ranked Burlington to avenge their only loss of the season.
Strasburg also needed to win by a cumulative point differential of more than nine points to gain the tiebreaker over the Cougars and have a chance to win the Patriot League East.
No problem.
The Indians (15-1, 6-1 in league) were dominant and resilient, taking out their visitors 25-18, 32-30, 25-17. They can clinch a league title Thursday with a victory over Bennett.
“Big character-building going into districts,” Strasburg coach Larry Deffenbaugh said. “This team maybe doesn’t always play the prettiest at times, but they know how to win.”
Michelle Kissler had a game-best 12 kills, Stephanie Hudson had 10 and Lacey Brummage added nine as the Indians won their sixth straight match.
For Kissler, settling the score meant more than any league title subplot.
“I didn’t care,” Kissler said. “We lost to Burlington before and we wanted revenge.”
The youthful Cougars (12-4, 5-1) played without top hitter Morgan Witzel (flu) and struggled at times with service errors and confidence, especially during the epic second game.
“Physically, I think we can beat every team we play,” Burlington coach Jennifer Harvey said. “Mentally, that’s where our inexperience is coming in.”
Junior Abby Laverenz led the Cougars with six kills – none in the third game – and sophomore Jesse Herman had five.
Burlington stumbled out of the gate, committing seven consecutive hitting errors to begin the first game in a 7-0 hole.
The Indians never gave up the lead and subdued the Cougars with another seven-point run behind three kills by Hudson and one kill and a block by Kissler.
Burlington responded in the middle game by taking the lead early and stretching it to five points before stalling late.
The Indians rallied to tie the game and went up 24-23 on Brummage’s kill. But the Cougars would respond, touching off a dramatic, back-and-forth flurry.
Burlington had game point on two occasions and Strasburg had it three times before finally clinching it 32-30 on Brummage’s kill.
