By Donny Henn

Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

Lots of players on the Rochester Century volleyball team have the ability to score a point with a kill. But when the Panthers need a point with emphasis, they usually turn to Brittany Weidman.

Weidman brought the power when Century needed her most Friday night at the Century gym, blasting a season-high 21 kills from her left outside hitter position in the Panthers' narrow 3-2 playoff win over crosstown rival Rochester John Marshall.

Weidman's big match led top-seeded Century past the upstart No. 8 seed Rockets in the quarterfinal round of the Section One, Class AAA tournament, 25-22, 26-24, 16-25, 21-25, 15-10.

"Century had Weidman, and on the other side of the net I had a freshman (Brianna Atkins)," JM coach Amir Dzamalija said with a shrug. "Weidman is a great player; we don't have anybody who can match with that powerful hitter."

Weidman had five kills in each of the first two games, including the game-winner in each, as Century gained early control in the match with a 2-0 lead.

"She wants the ball out there, and she knows what to do with it," Century coach Bob Koerner said of Weidman. "She leads by example."

The Panthers looked poised to make quick work of JM, but the Rockets had other plans.

JM came back to lead the third game from start to finish, and the Rockets stretched their lead in the middle when Century middle hitter Sarah Becker left the game temporarily with a knee injury.

Becker, a 5-foot-11 senior who leads the team in blocks, felt her right knee pop out of place and left the game in tears with her team trailing 5-3. She was able to return 10 minutes later, but JM had built an insurmountable 17-9 lead.

"I had never felt anything like that before, and that's why it scared me," Becker said.

"I think it definitely flustered us when Sarah went out; we weren't ready for that," said Century defensive specialist Katie Gannon.

"Middle hitter isn't a place where we have a lot of depth," Century coach Bob Koerner said. "Sarah is big for us; she's the stabilizing factor out there, always positive and encouraging."

Despite Becker's return, JM rode its third-game momentum into a 5-0 lead in the fourth game. The Rockets never relinquished the lead, and Century never got closer than four points.

JM junior Taylor Thompson delivered the game point with a strong kill from the right side, forcing a fifth game.

"We've come back from down 2-0 before; we did it against Red Wing," said JM setter Emily Limpert. "All of us had confidence that we could do it again."

The momentum had swung in JM's favor, but Koerner said he didn't sense any panic in his team's huddle before the fifth game.

"There was a lot of confidence in their eyes," Koerner said. "They've stayed together all year; they don't get shook up very often."

In the JM huddle, Dzamalija told his players how important it was to get off to a good start.

"The pressure in the fifth game is such that the first five points are most important," said Dzamalija.

But it was Century which jumped out to a 4-1 lead, and then managed to hold on to it for the win. JM closed within 13-10 on a kill by Atkins, but Century got the next two points, on a service error by JM, and an ace serve for match point by freshman Danielle Priestley.

"We lost so many matches by a 3-2 score this season, it was just unbelievable," Dzamalija said. "I'm glad that we came up to this level of play, and gave Century a good match."

JM got off to a 1-5 start this season but played .500 volleyball after that and finished 9-13. Dzamalija said that the midseason return of Thompson from neck and knee injuries helped the Rockets improve.

Dzamalija was "blown away" by some of his players' numbers in the match. Senior setter Chelsea Wiesner had a remarkable 60 digs with just five errors. Atkins had 15 kills, Anneka Fallenstein had 13, and Thompson 11, all season-highs, according to the coach.

Wiesner and Fallenstein were among nine seniors on the JM roster, and both are being recruited by Division II colleges for volleyball.

Weidman and Gannon had 26 digs each for Century, and senior outside hitter Kathryn Kuecker had 13 kills. Sophomore middle Catherine Plevak had five kills and four blocks, and she scored four of the last five points in the first game. Senior setter Maggie Benda had 33 set assists, and Priestley added 19.

"I feel like this definitely wasn't our best effort, but we survived," Gannon said. "If we play like we can, nobody's stopping us (from getting to state)."

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