A Taste of Their Own Medicine - By Kage Ballard

    Looking to prove themselves in the MCC, the Richland Bomber girls’ volleyball team took on the Chiawana Riverhawks on Tuesday, 10/11. Unfortunately, the Bombers got a taste of their own medicine, losing a heartbreaking back-and-forth match 3-2.

Photo courtesy of Madison Maxwell (RHS Yearbook).

    After losing 3-1 to an up-and-coming Hanford Falcon squad, the Bombers responded by winning back-to-back matches against Southridge and Hermiston. They were clearly playing with something to prove, resulting in them out-scoring their opponents 173-126 in those matches.

    The last match between the Bombers and the Riverhawks was as close as it could be. I spoke to senior Kenzie Nealon about how close it was. She added, “I am super excited to play them again, they were a challenge last time, and I enjoy close  games.” Both teams combined for a total of 98 points in the five sets, ending in a 16-14 5th set. The Bombers came back from down 14-9 to win, and as a result, the Riverhawks had a major chip on their shoulder.

    Using the last match as fuel, the Riverhawks came out firing, jumping out to an early 6-1 lead. The Bombers did not back down, however, and promptly knotted the match at seven. Kills from seniors Kenzie Nealon and Ella Carrick helped the first set remain close until the Bombers pulled away, making the score 20-15. Riverhawk senior, Emily Dawes, led a comeback, but the Bombers quickly responded. The Bombers, 25-21, won the first set.

Photo courtesy of Madison Maxwell (RHS Yearbook).

    Another hot start for the Riverhawks kicked off the second set, as they quickly built a 6-2 lead. This lead would hold for most of the set, although the Bombers did not go quietly. The Riverhawks were leading the set 19-13 when the Bombers got hot. A series of Riverhawk mistakes allowed the Bombers to bring the set within two. The Riverhawks ended the set on fire with kills from junior Mccall Callaway and won the second set 25-19. 

    The third set was crucial for both teams, and you could tell by how they were playing. Neither team could pull away, and the atmosphere in the gym was electric. The Bomber and Riverhawk student sections chanted back and forth, all set, providing bursts of energy to each squad. Junior Gracie Moss stepped up to the plate and delivered kills for the Bombers. I spoke to Gracie about being a junior on a team stacked with seniors, and she responded by adding, “I have a lot of fun playing with the seniors… I look up to all of them on and off the court.” You could tell she learned from senior Kenzie Nealon, who recently committed to Montana State University Billings because Gracie provided the spark the Bombers needed in order to pull away. Her timely kills allowed the Bombers to win the third set 25-21.

Photo courtesy of Madison Maxwell (RHS Yearbook).

    The Bombers now found themselves in the driver’s seat for this match. However, anyone at the first match between these two teams couldn’t help but remember how the last match progressed. In their first meeting, the Riverhawks took a 2-1 set lead and ended up losing in the 5th set. Looking to prevent that, the Bombers started strong in the fourth set, getting off to a promising 9-4 lead due to kills from senior Hannah Williamson. The Bombers retained a slight lead until the middle of the set. Then, the best rally of the night took place. The two teams returned strong hits, each team’s fans assuming they had won the set until a miraculous save was made. This happened multiple times throughout the rally until Hannah Williamson, set by senior Kelli Ostboe, sent a kill over the net, seemingly demoralizing the Riverhawks. The Riverhawks bounced back, tying the match at 17, then at 21. Then the Riverhawks took control of the match, taking a menacing 24-21 lead. Key mistakes allowed the Bombers to get back into the match, but the Riverhawks used the anger from their first meeting and won the fourth set 26-24. 

Photo courtesy of Madison Maxwell (RHS Yearbook).

    At this point, everyone in the gym immediately remembered the last match between the Bombers and the Riverhawks. 3-2. 16-14. Up to this point in the season, the Bombers had won every game that had gone to five sets. Chiawana knew they needed to start hot, and that they did. They quickly led the set 4-1, but in the blink of an eye, the Bombers were leading the set 5-4. Hannah Williamson showed up big again, allowing the Bombers to take a 7-5 lead. Chiawana needed help from Mccall Callaway and Emily Dawes, and they got it. Kill after kill for both teams. Necessary blocks by Richland’s Hannah Williamson and Chiawana’s Emily Dawes kept the fifth set extremely close. Critical Richland mistakes let the Riverhawks take a 12-10 lead. The Bombers were not able to respond and found themselves in a 14-11 hole. Memories of the 14-9 comeback inspired the Richland players and fans. Senior Kelli Ostboe served for the Bombers. 14-12. 14-13. Hannah Williamson again came up clutch for the Bombers. 14-14. Unfortunately, untimely and unforced mistakes lost the game for the Bombers. The match ended 16-14 on a service called in. The same exact way the Bombers won in their first meeting, except this time, the Chiawna Riverhawks were able to prevail. 

Photo courtesy of Madison Maxwell (RHS Yearbook).