Bombers Outshine the Suns... Once Again - By Emily Rodgers

    Thursday evening, the Bomber volleyball team faced off against the Suns in a match where Richland was favored to win. Across the board, we know Southridge has typically never posed a threat against Richland. This match began with spectators, especially the student section, shaking in their boots, with Southridge taking the first set. Richland quickly stepped up and showed it to them, ending the game at 3-1, Richland. 

Photo: RHS Yearbook

    The start of the game appeared to be full of energy; the lady Bombers dominated the court and brought to the Sun's attention that this would not be easy for them. A few minutes into the first set, the Richland girls still hold the lead and work well together. Southridge gets a few points on the board, and our girls fall quickly; mistakes made left and right with a lack of communication cause them to fall behind. The game begins, and the points go back and forth for what seems like forever. The Bombers were getting flustered and had to adjust quickly. After a while, when the Suns are up 19-16 in the first set, Richland calls a timeout, hoping to get our girls focused and settled down as the Richland student section is amping up. The Southridge girls come out hard from the timeout, quickly making it 20-16. The two teams rally for a while, and you can feel the intensity rising on the court; the Bombers fall to the Suns in the first set 24-20

    I got a chance to talk to Coach Anderson of the Bombers Varsity Volleyball team, and I asked her, knowing that Southridge wasn't a big worry for them, what were her plans for this game, what were the main things she wanted the girls to focus on. Anderson started talking about Southridge's new head coach, Kayla Randles, and how she is very talented and knows her stuff. Anderson predicted that after the first game we played against each other, there would be some changes in their game. After the match against Hanford on Tuesday, Anderson made it a point to focus on serving and passing this game, as the girls are having trouble with it. The Southridge girls are excited and ready to put up another fight, but coming into the second set, I doubt the Richland Bombers will let that excitement stay there for long as they came here to compete. 

Photo: RHS Yearbook

    At the beginning of the second set, the score goes back and forth between the Bombers and the Suns, both teams working hard and making errors. The Bombers start to find their footing, and their serving, passing, blocks, and tips are all on point, and things start to fall into place. The Suns aren't backing down, giving the defense a run for their money. The Suns call for a timeout with the score at 8-14, Richland. The girls rally for a while and keep banging in those spikes! Southridge takes their second timeout this set, trying to devise a way to stop the Bombers from showing them whose court they're on. These Richland athletes are something else; as soon as they gain momentum, nothing will stop them. The Bombers take the second set, holding the Suns at only 14 points. On Wednesday before the game, I chatted with Emerson White on the Varsity team, and she was pumped going into this game as she is coming off a phenomenal game against Hanford with a hitting average of 455! Emerson did share that their team will be looking to defend the "heart" and keep Southridge from scoring the points from their tipping, which has been going well thus far. 

Photo: RHS Yearbook

    Reputation certainly does show tonight on this court. Most Richland athletes and teams are known for putting up a fight; we don't like to lose! The girls come off in the first minute of the third set with two points and quickly rack them up from there. Our girls are hitting aces and having a block party out there! You can hear the crowd get more excited as the girls hold the Suns at 0 points for a while. The communication is coming out, and these girls are showing the Suns what working like a well-oiled machine looks like. The Suns are not giving up, though. The parents and spectators get loud as they rally, waiting for someone to put a point on the board! The Suns dropped off a little in this set, and the Bombers are taking full advantage, shoving points in their faces like practice. The Bombers swept the third set 25-11! As the Bombers are up with two sets and the Suns with one, the fourth set is anticipated to go quickly. Although, the Bombers are struggling again with their communication and unforced errors. They let the Suns rack several points on the board, and the energy seems to fall back. After a couple of good rallies and the support from the Richland student section, getting the girls excited again, the Bombers find themselves taking the fourth set 25–18. There is no doubt that the last set was rocky. Both teams were tired, but it came down to who wanted it more, and the Richland Bombers showed them who's boss.