Here she goes again

Jim Sacco / News Virginian
Published: October 25, 2007

Bouncing around the gym like an out-of-control ping-pong ball, a frown magnet for the opposition and the walking, sugar-filled energy drink for the Cougar team you set on.

Yes, there you go again.

With those crazy over-your-head sets that somehow, big guns Tabitha Bowman and Rachel Maki Howitzer over the net for kill after kill after kill.

Of course, there you go again, turning you face beet red from smiling all the time, laughing when something doesn't quite go your way on the court and taking time to look over at the rowdy student section and smile when some gravely-voiced male yells out "Yeah, Kerby."

Man, do you ever stop slapping teammate's hands and dishing out fanny pats like their sets in a championship match-

Really-

Does she ever stop-

"No," Maki says. "Never. If I'm dragging, Kerby is like, 'Come on, Rachel. Let's go.' "

It makes Maki wonder.

"How do you do it-" she says.

And everyone is like "Kerby, wow," Maki asks.

Really, how does she-

This whirling dervish doesn't peter out once the match is over. After the Cougars dispatched of Broadway in a 25-13, 25-12, 25-21 speed-bump match Thursday, Hatter was still red-faced and out of breath when she finally stops moving. Throwing her head back with each laugh and nervously twitching away, the last thing she needs is another shot of espresso.

The last thing the Cougars need is for Hatter to change her ways.

"We're just having fun," she says. "I like having fun."

And what a fun year it's been, in a clich- world where athletes are supposed to give 110 percent whilst running their engines at 100 m.p.h., sometimes Hatter's on-court skills get muffled by her on-court antics of crazy celebrations and dispy-doo spins when a server dumps an ace in for the Cougars.

"She's a hustler," Bowman says.

And she's a heck of a setter; serving up 26 assists Thursday - most to the combo of Maki and Bowman.

"If I can't set the ball," she says, "they can't get the hits they want."

Her coach, Kami Meeteer, knows a good setter when she sees one. Heck, she looks at one every morning when she's brushing her teeth in front of the mirror. The player-turned-coach has two state titles under her belt as a setter - 1995 and '96 with the Cougars - and was the co-player of the year in Group AA in 1998. Then, all Meeteer did after that was set the career assist record at Division II Concord in West Virginia.

"I was similar to Kerby," Meeteer says. "We're both very athletic and get to everything.

"She's very smart with her sets."

Oh, there you go again Hatter. Jumping around on the court, flailing your arms in the air after you team scores a point.

Yep, there you go again. This time doing the ol' up-and-down-the-ladder hand slap with Bowman then turning and laughing when one of your rare kill attempts gets stuffed back in your face by the Broadway frontline.

Sure, Hatter. Go ahead and knock on wood when you're asked if this Stuarts Draft team is build for the long haul.

"I hope so," she says. "I'm having a blast out there."

And the Cougar Nation hopes your Energizer Bunny antics don't stop.

With the district tournament coming up, and a Region III berth already in the bag, you know what they want from you and Cougars.

There you go again, Hatter. And they're hoping you guys will keep on going and going and going -

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