RISING SUN -- The young Francis Scott Key Eagles got a lesson in efficiency yesterday.
It came from a Clear Spring team that has provided its share of lessons the past two seasons.
The Blazers, defending state champions, won their 37th straight match in knocking the No. 11 Eagles out of the Class 1A state playoffs a second straight year in the semifinals. The scores were 15-5, 15-10 1A and 15-4 in the match at Rising Sun High School in Cecil County.
The senior-laden Blazers were nearly flawless throughout, while quick to take advantage of miscues by the Eagles, who were never able to get into any kind of steady flow.
"We just made too many mistakes; that's the bottom line," said Key coach Leo Totten. "We didn't play as relaxed as we needed. Clear Spring was more efficient and made fewer mistakes."
The Eagles (14-5) had problems from the start with their first hits, which caused their setters to scramble around and frequently resulted in them setting up their opponents as often as their own hitters.
"We made very few good [first] passes. If the passer can't get it to our setter, then we can't get into our offense," Totten said. "Half their big hits came off our services."
Senior Heather Aleshire was in on most of the Clear Spring kills, finishing with 12 and controlling the net most of the night along with fellow seniors Marybeth Weaver and Jill Horst.
Key senior Maureen Ritcey did all she could, playing another fine all-around match and finishing with eight kills -- including three early in the second game to help give her team a 6-1 lead -- but she couldn't offset the Blazers' overwhelming balance.
After a 15-5 loss in the first game, the Eagles regrouped to take a 6-1 lead in the second, only to see the Blazers come back.
Trailing, 6-3, Clear Spring ran off seven straight points behind the serving of Tracy Bishop and a couple of kills from Weaver to take control.
Key tried to rally, cutting the lead to 14-10 on another Ritcey kill, but the Blazers closed out the game when Cindy Sheedy's hit went into the net for Key.
Down, 14-3, in the third game, Key fought off three match points before Clear Spring's Krista Hoffman ended it with a kill.
The Eagles surpassed all expectations with a roster that was loaded with underclassmen.
They won a second straight region title, finished second in the inaugural Carroll County tournament and gave the Blazers a tougher time in this year's state semifinals.
"It was a great season. We went a lot farther than we thought and we're looking forward to next year," Totten said.