Panthers sweep Bears

Usually, three-game sweeps involve one team dominating the other. This was not one of those occasions. The first two games could've easily gone the Bears' way, but Burlingame (4-2 Bay Division, 13-8 overall) played its best at the key moments, earning a crucial victory.

"We needed this win to control our own destiny," Panthers coach Steve Erle said.

Burlingame played with a sense or urgency, focus and determination that allowed it to pull off an amazing comeback in the opening game. Trailing 24-18 and facing six game points, Burlingame reeled off six consecutive points -- all coming off Michelle Neumayer kills. The Bears (4-2, 13-6) took a 25-24 lead, but the Panthers won the next point before a M-A hitting error and Neumayer's kill capped a spectacular rally.

It was Neumayer's 14th kill of the game -- she finished with 32 for the match -- and many of those came when her team needed it the most. Out of Burlingame's final nine points, Neumayer scored eight of them. Almost equally as dominant was the Bears' Diane Seely, who finished with 19 kills, including nine in Game 2.

That's when Seely and Neumayer put together a highlight-reel show, taking turns scoring points for their respective teams in spectacular fashion. Each time Seely recorded a kill, Neumayer would come back and hit one harder. And vice versa. How dominant were the two players? Seely scored seven of her team's first eight points in Game 2, while Neumayer scored Burlingame's first six.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a better duel all season, but it was Neumayer and Burlingame who eventually prevailed in a tight Game 2 before running away with things in Game 3. Game 2 featured nine ties and 10 lead changes, and neither team led by more than three points the entire way. Once again, the Panthers played superior down the stretch.

After the Bears' Kelly Branning (13 kills) put down a tip to make it 22-22, Neumayer responded with a putaway. Seely answered with a kill to tie things once again, but a M-A hitting error gave the Panthers their first game point and they didn't waste much time in finishing things off. Devon Michaels, who provides a steady presence at net, blocked a Seely attack to give Burlingame a 2-0 lead.

Seely was unstoppable at times but the Panthers were able to at least slow down the sensational sophomore outside hitter as Michaels and Alyssa Gustafsson started to get some blocks and tips off of Seely's swings. In Game 1 and for most of Game 2 Burlingame couldn't get a block -- let alone a touch or dig -- whenever Seely went up for a kill. The Bears played well in the first two games, but seemed to have a mental letdown after not capturing either one of those.

"That was the first time we've done anything like that all season in terms of a comeback," Erle said. "When we get down on ourselves things don't usually go well. To come back was a huge mental lift for us, and to watch it was incredible. Winning the first two gave us confidence and it showed with our passing."

Panthers setter Nicole Neumayer had another solid match, making all the right decisions and scoring on some dumps in Game 3. Her quick sets to middle blocker Amanda Koester -- who delivered some powerful kills of her own -- along with her outside passes to Cassie Root makes Burlingame's attack tough to stop. Root was strong on the outside and Gustafsson was tough at net, finishing with a match-high four blocks. Erle said he saw plenty of fight in his team.

"When we passed badly we were still able to go after it and win points," he said. "We got to a lot more balls and created second-chance points that we usually don't get. It was pure hustle."