This is a coach. She puts trust in her athletes, but also knows when they need a breath and a bit of a talking to.
The fourth set was a debacle for Cochranton. Suddenly they couldn't put the ball on the floor at all on the Homer-Center side. They fell way behind and never caught-up losing that one 25-14. It looked like Cochranton's season was over. Homer-Center had momentum and positive body language. The cards looked defeated and beaten. Malliard took ever last second of the timeout between sets to reconfigure her game plan and then finally put a team out on the court. It wasn't long before her strategy became clear. Feed Sokol! Feed Sokol. Feed Sokol. The Cardinals put their season on the shoulders (or hard swinging left arm) of Devyn Sokol. She wasn't alone of course. After a few powerful kills suddenly the Cardinal's shoulders were up again and they made key digs and passes and even others chimed in on some kills. It was a thing of beauty to watch. Homer-Center gave everything to take down Cochranton, but key coaching and players who stepped up when it was do or die made the difference. |