Bomber Volleyball Tops Bulldogs 3-1 - by Alec Ammerman

    The Bombers coming off their first MCC win on Tuesday, decided to come out hot for their second conference match of the year against the Hermiston Bulldogs. Richland, being made up of a lot of upperclassmen, showed their high-level volleyball for four tough sets resulting in a 3-1 victory over the Hermiston Bulldogs. 

    Art Dawald gymnasium is set for the Bombers' first home game of the 2023 season. With a LOUD first point, senior outside hitter Jenna Holm has a huge spike that sets the tone for tonight's match.  Holm standing at 6' tall, has a huge advantage that she loves to utilise, which resulted in 13 kills on the night. As Richland lost one of their star outside hitters last year, Holm is not shy to fill that role and more. After being all-conference since her sophomore year, she looks to make a big name for herself this year in the MCC.

Josie Allen - RHS Yearbook

    In the first set, the Bomber ladies show they can dominate and strive when playing with momentum in their hands. This momentum shows all the work they have been putting in on team chemistry. I was able to catch up with senior setter, Addie Schow, who commented on the team “We've seen from the beginning what our team is capable of and we know our strengths and weaknesses, and we've challenged ourselves with our weaknesses in practice so we are confident for tonight's game and this season.” With this confidence going into the game, they proved that they had been working on their mistakes which resulted in a 25-7 first-set win.

    The Bulldogs came out ready in the second set. Senior Bulldog, Piper Roberts helped her team out early with a spectacular serve that caused some confusion on the Richland side of the court. Roberts then goes on to have a notable amount of points just from her serves. Shortly after, Richland senior Ella McGee goes on an eight-point run. This went on to be the longest run that any team had tonight. McGee took this set away from the Bulldogs, winning 25-13.

Josie Allen - RHS Yearbook

    After the Bulldogs fall down two sets to none, they are ready to give it their all. Pasco came out with a fire lit under them, receiving the first few points. Richland needs a response to end the momentum that their opponents have rolling. Then, senior setter Christine Rew tapped the ball over the net on their second touch, leaving Hermiston without an answer. This set was a dog fight. Both teams were neck and neck the whole set. Hermiston ran away with the third set, making it a 2-1 game with the Bombers still in the lead. 

    Going into the fourth set, it was clear that the Bulldogs were not giving up and would need to give it their all. After speaking with a fan after the third set was over, they said "The Bombers will not give up, Being a Bomber fan I know that no matter the sport they will give it their all until the game is over.” This was starting to show right out of the gates of the fourth set. Both teams came out with communication that was on point resulting in another match that was neck and neck. 

Josie Allen - RHS Yearbook

    Point after point, the fourth set was similar to the third set. Each team had back-and-forth scoring with big hits from the girls up front. After a fast-paced early in the set, the Bulldogs' head coach Dan Headley would need to call a timeout to get his girls under control. After this time out the team came out ready to go. With a few big plays here and there, this did not last long. Richland takes advantage of a few mistakes the Bulldogs made that sucked out the energy in the Hermiston team. Later in the set, the senior middle hitter, Gracie Moss had a huge spike that put the nail in the coffin for this game. Moss had a spectacular night with a handful of spikes along with multiple blocks that were key moments in the win. 

    The Richland team is looking for another outstanding season.  As the Bombers have a 97-24  record over the past five years, they look to continue that tradition of high-level volleyball. “I expect us to not only get more competitive and united as the season goes on,” says Schow. Although they suffered losing some key seniors last year, there have been some girls who have decided to step up into these big roles. But this team was capable of doing it, and it really has shown in their first two matches as they are 2-0 in conference play so far this year.  

Josie Allen - RHS Yearbook