Columbia College freshman shines in air attack

Zhao’s inspired play was a deciding factor in the Cougars’ 15-5, 8-15, 9-15, 15-6, 15-6 win over the William Woods University Owls (0-4) Tuesday at Southwell Gymnasium.

But what most people will remember from the match is the aerial offensive display freshman Winder Montano performed over the Owls.

The Venezuelan opposite led the Cougars with 26 kills, many coming from the back line. His mere presence forced William Woods’ blockers to concentrate on him, opening up scoring opportunities for the rest of the Cougars.

"Winder is going to play a good game almost every time," said senior outside hitter K.C. Trimble, a second-team Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association selection last season. "Winder is probably one of the best offensive threats that has ever been in this school."

While Montano gave the Cougars an exciting new attacking option, other players appeared to be rusty in their first match since April.

"This game reminded me of the tin man in the Wizard of Oz before he got his oil," said Columbia co-coach Wayne Kreklow. "We needed to move, and relax a little more."

The smaller Owls team took early control of the match after losing the first game. The Owls jumped out to an early 8-1 lead in the second game with a combination of blocks and kills.

Montano then proceeded to amaze the crowd with three vicious spikes and two key blocks that brought the Cougars within five. But the Owls regained composure to widen the gap and tie the match at one game apiece.

In the third game, both teams exchanged sideouts until the Owls took a 4-3 lead and scored seven consecutive points on the way to a 2-1 lead in the match.

"We were concerned after they took the lead in the second and third games," said Montano, who had five blocks. "But we knew we could tie the game."

The Cougars returned to form in the fourth game by jumping to a quick lead. Three of Columbia’s international players - Montano, Zhao and Bulgarian middle blocker Ivan Topchiysky - combined for six kills to give the Cougars an early 6-0 lead.

"We started to control the ball well enough to do what we wanted to do," Kreklow said.

The Cougars owned the game after that point by attacking with more precision and blocking a number of Owl kill attempts.

The fifth game belonged to Montano, who had eight of his kills in the period. Setter Michael Taylor, who had a match-high 42 assists, made a crucial block and kill to give Columbia a 14-6 lead, before a long Woods’ kill attempt gave the Cougars the win.

"The thing is no matter how good one individual is, you’re not going to beat a good team with just one guy," said Kreklow, referring to his team’s reliance on its freshman star. "We have a long way to go. The good thing about this (first match) is that it’s now over."

Comments? E-mail News or Sports

Back to top     News    Sports    Search    Classifieds