The Bulldogs Bow to the Bombers - By Valerie Martinez
The Lady Bombers were coming from a winning game against Walla Walla. The girls took a quick fumble during the Kamiakin and Kennewick matches, but they are getting back on track with a streak of two wins. Richland versus Pasco was a quick game ending with a solid 3-0, with the Bombers taking the victory.
Rolling into the match, it was another easy win for the team, after a straight win against Walla Walla. An easy win was for sure the case. The Bombers took the lead in the first 10 minutes of the set with 5-2. Richland undoubtedly took the lead for this entire game. The Bulldog fanatics surely showed their unconditional support for their team, having zero wins this season. The entire student section was filled to the brim on Pasco's side with bright construction outfits, seeing that that was the theme for the night. However, only the Richland parents showed their support that night with no student section in sight.
For the majority of the time, the Lady Bombers' iron wall was impenetrable for the Bulldogs. Richlands' Ella Mcgee, libero, served several balls that the Bulldogs couldn’t receive, and no rallies were passed. 5 '10' Gracies Moss' lightning speed hits towards the center, and Pasco seemed to have some communication problems leading to the balls slamming into the ground. Scattered calls were yelled on the Bulldogs' side, but we couldn't stop talking compared to the bombers. It was clear that the Lady Bulldogs had something to work on. The Bulldogs head coach for the girls varsity volleyball team, John Tucker, said "We just need to clean up simple small mistakes, and we could improve on our communication.” There is always room for improvement, but the Bulldogs gave it their best. The first set finished with an overpowering score of 25-8, with the Lady Bombers taking the success.
As well as the first set, Richland had a successful outcome with a 25-18. Pasco definitely showed some perseverance during the set with nail-biting rallies. About three interesting rallies occurred in this set, with eight consecutive hits and blocks back and forth. However, sadly for Pasco, the Bombers took two out of the three points from these rallies, Moss from Richland had two great tips over the net in a row, but it led to a point for the Bulldogs.
From the earlier games last week, Richland took a bit of a tumble, but we're getting back on our feet. The head coach for the Richland varsity team, Valarie Anderson, said, "We started strong and we had a little bit of a low when we played the week of Kamiakin and Kennewick. Our team had several illnesses and other things, but we are finally coming back as a team.” We are getting back on track to be ready to defeat what is to come. Valarie also said, “We missed Mallea Haines, one of our liberos the last two games because she was sick, and our setup had to be changed. Every game, I use her and Ella as my passers, and they are always in the back row together, so it brought us down to just having one. And even though Ella is great when we have both of them together on the court, we are dynamic. Also, the week prior to missing Mia those two games, we had three players sick, and it was just kind of a cluster of really yucky stuff, so it has been a rough couple of weeks.” As little as a sickness, the team could drastically change with the set and the play. The players demonstrated fascinating skills and communication in the match, and from here, it should get better.
25-11 was Richland's winning set against the Bulldogs. Although we were triumphant, one of our star players, middle hitter and blocker Gracie Moss, had a knockdown over one other player. As Moss was jumping for a block, she twisted her ankle and collapsed on the ground. The silence was loud throughout the crowd. According to Valarie Anderson, head coach, "She will be sore. I don’t think it’s injured, but I won't have her play tomorrow at Spokane for a tournament. I’ll have her rest to be healed by the next game.” Fortunately, we didn’t lose a player and will hopefully still be on track to victory.
Now, the real question is, what can we polish up to make our Lady Bombers better in the long run? Do we need improvement on attendance to practices, communication, or skill? Coach Anderson responded, "One of the biggest things we have been working on, and it's not necessarily skill, but it's having the Bomber pride and showing the Bomber pride to our fans when they come, so whether we are on the court playing and winning and killing the ball or on the courts having to catch up to the team, we want to show our bomber pride to all our fans so that is something we’ve really worked on as a team. And we have been working really hard between our hitter and our setters, like our setter-hitter connection, and the improvement is really showing.” All in all, being a fantastic athlete, fan, and student isn’t all about skill; it is about showing your pride and spirit to those who look up to or admire you or the team.
Overall, this match was great for both the Bulldogs and the Bombers to reflect on areas that can be improved on and progress to be proud of. With luck and hard work, victory will be successful for the Lady Bombers. Show your appreciation, support, and all your bomber pride next Tuesday, October 10, at 7:00 pm at Art Dawald...HOME OF THE BOMBERS.
