Fate of the Falcons - By Gunner Grall
It's the inner city MCC matchup: Richland volleyball against the Hanford Falcons. Richland would go on to sweep the 'birds' 3-0 (25-12, 26-24, 25-23). Coming into the game, Hanford lost two of their key players that moved away. The Bombers, knowing HHS is behind in talent, will take that to their advantage and have no mercy. Starting off the game, Richland comes out swinging, with one point after another with a six-zero lead within the first minute. The girls seem to have their heads in the game, and they are in the zone. Hanford was struggling and was playing very poorly as Richland continued to pound them. Bomber chemistry was boiling and releasing on the Falcons. A very aggressive, hard-hitting first set from The home team as they are up and pulling away. The student section at home hit the Falcons with a back-to-basics chant, and it was very much needed.
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| Photo: RHS Yearbook |
The second set began, and those in attendance could tell that Hanford was playing with a chip on their shoulder and ready to come back. They used the last set as fuel to power into this set. In some cases, the negativity and hate can give a player or team more anger and energy to fight back even harder. The Bombers take Hanford for granted, as it seems they aren't playing to their full potential. The communication from the Richland girls faltered during this set. Hanford pounds them five to two in the first few minutes of the second set. The Falcons have the ball rolling, and it doesn't look like they plan on giving up sets as easily as the first. The Falcons land several points in a row, and it continues. Richland is really struggling, and the Hanford girls notice their struggle and capitalize on the situation as they take the lead. However, Richland fights back and a game of back-and-forth between the two teams takes place as Richland trails 12-16. The battle is intense, and the Bombers and Falcons will not give up. The Bombers are able to get to 15 points, but the Falcons are still ahead with 20.
A true nail-biter as the game is cutting it super close, Richland answers back with a score of 21-24. Hanford is one point away from winning the second set. But Jenna Holm is up to serve and she is prepared to bring this set back. She sends it over and there's a volley; it comes back to the Richland side, and Holm finishes it with a perfectly placed ball on the Falcons side of the net. Jenna’s serve again, one point away from a second set win, and she sends it over, and the Falcons can’t take the missile that was sent. Bombers win 26-24.
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| Photo: RHS Yearbook |
Coming into the third set, the Bombers know they can’t take the Falcons lightly, or they will use the momentum against them. Hanford comes out smacking to a 3-0 lead. After they get back in their groove, Richland brings the game back to even at 5-5. The Bombers are building each other up and trying to finish the game in this third set. Richland wants to make it so the Falcons don’t have a chance to compete with them or feel like they have a slim chance of winning. Gracie Moss lets her anger out and sends a killer spike to the other side, making it seven to six for the Bombers. Richland is done playing games and just wants to put the Falcons out of their misery. Jenna Holm sends an absolute bullet across the court, resulting in a 10-9 advantage.
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| Photo: RHS Yearbook |
Richland gets into a funk again, and it’s like a snowball of mistakes, and the communication just isn't there. There are some great volleys involved, but the ball just won't hit the ground. Hanford is pulling the lead 23-20, hoping they can get away with a win to keep them in the game. The ups and downs of the Bombers' play are causing chaos and making matches longer than they need to be. It's the little tasks that can make a good team into a great one. Many points were gifted to the Falcons and letting them think they belong in the match. But the RHS girls gain their confidence and take the 'W' from HHS.
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| Photo: RHS Yearbook |
A large factor in the 'high flying' Bombers' success is their confidence; if they were confident in each other throughout the whole game, they would be unstoppable against the best teams, let alone Hanford. I spoke with Malia Haynes from the Bombers about playing the team's rival city school, and her take on the game, “ It feels really great. We all played really well as a team, and we just played really hard and just played some Bomber volleyball, so really proud of us.” I also spoke with one of the main leaders in the student section and not only the student section but the whole school of Richland, Nathan Mclelland. I asked what he thought were some strengths he felt the girls had tonight and how the game went overall. “You could say some of the key strengths tonight were definitely the kills we had; the spikes were phenomenal. I mean, you just go out there, and you get like a five foot ten girl banging it on a six foot seven girl. What do you do, man? It's just bones after bones”. As Nathan said, the girls came out killing, and they were successful tonight with their confidence, bringing them another Bomber win.
