More than a match at Morrison

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MORRISON - Emotions blindsided Morrison's Danielle Stralow after Thursday's match against Newman. The sting of a 18-25, 25-17, 25-17 Three Rivers loss to the Comets did not cause the unexpected tears. Instead, it was the significance of the pink jerseys she and her teammates were wearing. The Fillies became the latest area team to host a Volley for the Cure match - an event designed to raise awareness of breast cancer and funds for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. "This means a lot to us and to me," Stralow said. "My grandmother has it right now. I don't why but it didn't hit me till just now just how much this means." The idea for the event came from the IHSA rules meeting attended by Morrison coach Tammy Deter. The Morrison Booster Club organized the event, which included a dinner, a raffle and the pink jerseys. "This is something that really has hit us hard recently and that's what makes a night like this so important," Deter said. "I think that's why the girls got into it so much." On the court, Morrison (3-11, 2-7) was strong in the first game but watched the Comets rally to take the final two. "We just stopped talking and stopped working together as a team," Stralow said. "For whatever reason, we just were not focused." Stralow finished with nine kills and two aces. Shelby McBride added 13 assists and six service points. It was business as usual for Newman (5-10, 4-5), which has made a habit of starting slow. "We've been doing that all year long," Newman's Michele Salvatori said. "It just seems to take us till the second game for us to warm up." The net play of Salvatori, Megan Salvatori, Kaitlyn Hunsberger and Sarah Prendergast turned the Comets around. "We had the girls for 34 kills and we haven't had anything near that all season in a match," Newman coach Jay Howell said. "It's always hard to get balls down against Morrison, so that says a lot about how well the girls came out and executed."