Bishop Gorman hangs on to oust Centennial in 3

Brocke Radke

Thursday, Nov. 4, 1999 | 10:08 a.m.

The Bishop Gorman high school girls' volleyball team can't help but win.

The Gaels have played the same way all season long: dominant, yet with a tendency to let down late in the match. But the team's style has proven successful, as Gorman notched a 15-1 regular season record this year.

Wednesday's opening round of the Sunset Regional Tournament at Clark High was no different, as Gorman dismantled Centennial for the first two games 15-2 and 15-3 only to struggle before pulling it out in the third, 15-12.

"We definitely have that tendency to lose our focus in the third game," Gaels' coach Ed Van Meetren said. "We have worked on keeping our concentration up."

Perhaps part of the problem is that the Gaels are just too good.

"We have more size than anybody and probably more experience, too," Van Meetren said. "But if we don't stay mentally fixed on the match, we can get beat any time."

Gorman thoroughly outplayed Centennial for the first two games, led by the inside presence of middle blocker Shannon McGrandy, a 6-2 senior. McGrandy toyed with the Bulldogs, collecting nine kills and six blocks.

Also pacing the Gaels' attack was senior outside hitter Jamie Van Meetren, who recorded 12 kills, and senior middle blocker Tarin Keith, who contributed six kills.

Despite the consistent offense, the young Bulldogs' team gained some momentum in the third game behind strong serving and impressive hitting from junior Kristen Sagers and sophomore Darci Sandoval.

Centennial rallied to get down by one, 13-12, but lost the momentum on a service error. Gorman capitalized when Keith notched one of her three aces and the Gaels put the match away. The loss moved Centennial's record to 11-8.

"We can't afford to get down," McGrandy said. "We really had to stick our heads in tonight. I think we work together as a team real well."

Gorman's formula for winning may not be perfect, but it's working. Even the team's only loss of the season -- to Durango, a team that also advanced to the second round and will play Cimarron Memorial today at 4 p.m. -- has an asterisk by it because McGrandy was out with an ankle injury.

"Staying focused has been our main problem," Ed Van Meetren said. "There are only four or five real competitive teams in this town. There are plenty of great individual players. But as long as we play together, I think we are very tough to beat."

Van Meetren admits the loss to Durango was plagued by hitting errors, and the Gaels' serving was inconsistent in the first round tournament win.

But they keep on winning. And they enjoy it.

"We play better if we stay up and have fun," McGrandy said.

Van Meetren is all for his team staying loose on the court, because it has translated into wins.

"They have a lot of fun out there," he said. "There have been times when the girls have bickered, but mostly they have been able to stay together."

Gorman will match up against Bonanza in the second round at 6 p.m. today at Clark High after the conclusion of today's Cimarron-Durango match.

In Sunrise Region tournament action today at Chaparral, Las Vegas will take on Silverado at 4 p.m., followed by the host Cowboys vs. Green Valley at 6 p.m..

Both regional championships will be played Friday at 5 p.m.