[September 08, 2010] Toppers avoid a letdown Tweet Sep 08, 2010 (Herald & Review - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- MOUNT PULASKI -- With youth comes a tentativeness that only consistent success will wipe away. A game in hand and up 15-8 against Warrensburg-Latham, Mount Pulaski coach Donna Dulle saw that lack of aggression bubble to the surface on Tuesday. The effect was some poor passing and a slew of hitting errors that let the Cardinals back into the game. Warrensburg even held a 24-23 lead before the Toppers (3-0) rallied and seasoned seniors Samantha Nichols and Haley Bowles finished off the 25-14, 28-26 win with kills. "The first game we came out and we passed well and we hit the ball well," Dulle said. "They just need to do that. Sometimes they think that they can't do it, but they're very solid." Outside of Nichols and Bowles, Dulle's main rotation includes four sophomores and a freshman. While three of those five saw a good amount of action during the Toppers' run to state last season, they are now at the center of the show. "We definitely improve our communication and boost up our other girls and have them be confident," Bowles said about her and Nichols helping out the underclassmen. "We miss a few girls for defense and hitting and smarts, but I think a lot of the younger girls have stepped up and helped." While Mount Pulaski came out blazing against Warrensburg, the Cardinals (6-2) picked up right where they left off from Saturday's Mattoon Tournament championship. Warrensburg rolled to a 5-0 start in the tourney, but got thumped 25-15, 25-17 by Mattoon in the last match. Against Mount Pulaski, the Cardinals found themselves in a quick 8-2 hole. "I was just hoping it was a flop and we wouldn't do that again," Warrensburg coach Sherry White said about her team's performance against Mattoon. "We played similar to what we did in Game 1 tonight, so it wasn't a surprise." After Warrensburg's Molly Dunn recorded a block to make it 16-12, Mount Pulaski pulled away. The closest the Cardinals got after that was six points. "The first game was kind of embarrassing," Warrensburg senior Dana Belcher said. "We were like, 'We have to prove to Mount Pulaski, to all the people who are watching us that we can play as a team and do well.' " Belcher's eight kills and eight digs helped the Cardinals do that in the second game before falling. One of Dulle's young guns, sophomore Rachel Durchholz, led Mount Pulaski with nine kills. Bowles had eight, while sophomore Breanna Howe finished with 14 assists, two kills and two aces. [email protected] 421-6970 To see more of Herald & Review, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.herald-review.com Copyright (c) 2010, Herald & Review, Decatur, Ill. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544). [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]