October 6 at Marriotts Ridge High School was Super Hero Day as part of Spirit Week in anticipation of homecoming.

Team captain Jenn Dixon walked out of the gym after the match in a red felt cape over her volleyball uniform and coach Amanda Olsen wore a "Superman" T-shirt instead of the traditional Marriotts Ridge polo shirt.

What the Mustangs could have used, though, was some kryptonite to stop Glenelg junior Casey Schmidt, whose eight kills and two aces led Glenelg past Marriotts Ridge, 25-18, 25-19, 17-25, 31-29.

Schmidt is the Gladiators' best hitter, even though she is one of the team's setters in a 6-2 offense.

"Being a setter I don't ever really get to swing. When I do get to hit and serve I try to swing as hard as I can. Sometimes I do wish I was playing outside (hitter)," Schmidt said.

She is also one of the county's best servers, possessing a jump serve that screams across the net before diving down to the court from the top spin.

To the Mustangs' credit, Schmidt only got away with two aces because the Marriotts Ridge back row handled her serves so well.

"They did a great job with it, it's an incredible serve. I just told them pretend it's a dig, stay low, absorb the ball. They handled it very well, it could have been disastrous because it's a wicked serve," Olsen said.

Marriotts Ridge was led by junior middle hitter Marybeth Poulton, who dominated the net for eight kills and three point blocks.

"Marybeth has been playing very well the past few games, keeping the ball in front of her and being an offensive threat for us," Olsen said.

Dixon and Meredith Krzys combined for seven kills in the marathon fourth game.

Bears on the rise

Howard County volleyball is one of the hardest ladders to climb in Maryland sports. The winning teams usually have a deep farm system of club players and dominate the losing teams. After years of struggling, Hammond appears to be climbing into the upper class.

Last week, the Golden Bears beat Glenelg for the first time in 15 years and then took Atholton (7-3) in four games a few days later. On Oct. 7, the Bears fell to Wilde Lake, but it took five games (25-17, 25-15, 21-25, 20-25, 13-15) for the Wildecats (8-1) to dispatch Hammond, which led, 13-12, in the deciding game.

"We're playing well," Hammond coach Ken McLaughlin said. "The girls were disappointed. They usually just go on with their lives, but they were pissed off on the bus ride home ... the mind set is changing, they are truly believing."

Meg Harley (nine kills) and Jeanette Jenkins (six) led the offense, while Brandone Roberts blocked six attacks for points. Sasha Pletnikova (21 of 22) and Harley (20 of 21) were nearly perfect from the service line.

For Wilde Lake, Christina Neidlinger made some big serves, Maggie Decker anchored the defense, Jan Duncan and Shana Nelson made key blocks, and Megan Reisz had clutch kills in the fifth game.

"They gave us a run for our money, they're very scrappy," Wilde Lake coach Caitlin Geoghan said. "It's really exciting to see the county evened out."

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