Bombers Complete the Sweep against Hanford - By Colson Mackey

As the season continues for the Richland Bomber Volleyball team, our girls took on the Hanford Falcons tonight in a highly anticipated match between crosstown rivals, the final score being a win for Richland 3-0. After coming off their first win of the season, the Bombers had a fire started beneath them to get going and they came into this game ready to compete against a struggling Hanford Falcons team who came into this match 1-3 overall, after suffering losses to Hermiston, Walla Walla, and Chiawana. However, both squads were looking to get up to a .500 record. The Bombers had been given a loss by both Kamiakin and Kennewick. 

Bomber volleyball is a completely fresh-looking team this year, losing almost the entire roster from last year and only returning a couple of girls. As Head Coach Valarie Anderson heads into her second season as head coach she has an overall record of 14-10, which is unusual compared to the success of some Richland Volleyball teams we have had in the past years. This Bomber Volleyball team would win the Mid-Columbia Conference almost every year and always seemed to be competing in the state playoffs at the SunDome in Yakima. Under coach Bob Raidl, the Bomber Volleyball team was a powerhouse in Washington for years, from 2010 to 2022, they made the state playoffs 8 times, including a second-place finish in State during the 2018 season. Bomber Volleyball didn’t just have great coaching, they also had amazing talent over that stretch, with names like Sage Brustad, Alaina Lacey, Linsdey Rosenthal, Ryan White, and 2021 MCC Player of the Year Marin Mackey. 

However, since then, Bomber Volleyball has seemed to take a step down, but players like senior Aubrey Hudson and junior Makiya Woodruff know the legacies that came before them, and they plan to create their own, especially during tonight's game against a rival. I interviewed team captain Makiya Woodruff before the match and got some of her thoughts heading into it. When asked about how she is feeling going into the game, she told me, “I’m super excited for tomorrow’s match against Hanford, especially because they are our cross-town rivals. It should be a fun game, and our team is ready for it.” Since being named a captain, Makiya has taken on a new challenge this year, becoming a leader to those around her. When asked about it, she explained how she wants to set a good example for how things are done for the 3 underclassmen on the team, also wanting to work hard and having fun as well. 

Now we dig into the match where the 1-3 Falcons took on the 1-2 Richland Bombers. After the team introductions, the Bombers took the court with an intensity that helped them get off to a great start. The Bombers got things going well, gaining a strong 9-2 lead, led by some powerful kills by senior Outside Hitter Aubrey Hudson. This quick rush by the Bombers forced Hanford's head coach, Kristin White, to call an early timeout to help get the girls to regather their momentum; however, after the timeout, the Bombers proceeded to explode out of the huddle with a 6-0 run. The Bombers got some nice kills from senior Middle Hitter Olivia Killian and sophomore PIN Alaina Cron. This forced Hanford to take yet another timeout after the score turned to a 15-2 lead out of nowhere. This timeout turned out to be more successful for the Falcons, but there was no momentum shift for either team heading into the back half of the set. Despite the Falcons' best efforts with some kills from Senior OH Bailee Cornella, this set was out of reach and the Bombers took the win after a kill from Aubrey Hudson, the final score being 25-12. Some key players during this set were senior middle-hitter Anna Hansen and Aubrey Hudson from the Bombers and senior Defensive Specialist Lillian Thompson from Hanford. 

The Second set kicked off with a big block by Anna Hansen, and the Bombers got off to another strong start in set two. The Falcons wouldn’t back down though; Bailee Cornella got hot with a couple of kills in a row for the Falcons. This momentum shift was short-lived as junior Outside Hitter Makiya Woodruff started to heat up, killing the ball several times as the Bombers inched closer to securing a second-set win. The Bombers were running away with this set, but the Falcons again wouldn’t back down, scoring five straight points to make the score within 3 points, led by Bailee Cornella. Valarie Anderson called a timeout, to help get her girls back under control. The Bombers took care of business and outscored the Falcons 4-1 after the timeout and won the second set after a vicious kill by Makiya Woodruff, the final score being 25-21. Some standout players in this set were Makiya Woodruff from Richland and Hanford's sophomore Outside Hitter Lacey Turner and Bailee Cornella.  

The third set kicked off with all the momentum going in the Bombers' favor after a hot start. The idea of completing the sweep against their cross-town rivals seemed to be pushing them the most. But the Falcons wouldn’t go down without a fight; they wanted to complete the biggest comeback of their season, and they showed up in the third set. The Bombers got off to another hot start in this one with a 5-2 lead thanks to a couple of kills by Aubrey Hudson, but this was quickly followed by a 4-0 run from Hanford, led by Lacey Turner. After this series of events, the Bombers and Falcons went point for point seven times in a row until the set was tied at 18 each. During this stretch, both teams made some hard-earned points, volleying back and forth multiple times and having fans at the edge of their seats. The Bombers went on a 3-0 run, which led to coach Kristin White calling a timeout. After this, Hanford's senior Middle Blocker, Grace Francis, had a big kill, which shifted the momentum toward Hanford's favor, and before we knew it, the score was 21-20 in the third set. Just as Hanford thought they had a chance, Alaina Cron had two huge kills, which was the final nail in the coffin for the Hanford Falcons. Olivia Killian got the final kill of the game, and the Bombers were victorious in the third and final set with a score of 25-23. Some Standout players of this third set for the Bombers were Olivia Killian, and Alaina Cron, and for Hanford, Bailee Cornella.  

Overall, the Bombers played some of their best volleyball of the season in this match, never giving up and keeping the pressure on throughout the night despite being in another team's home atmosphere. I asked Richland student Dylan Dunnum some of his thoughts on the match, and he told me, “I was extremely impressed with the Bombers tonight. I thought they played at a really high level.” When I asked him who stood out to him most during the night, he told me that Aubrey Hudson had a great night. Her kills made the whole gym explode with cheers, especially the students who came and supported the Bombers. The Bombers improve to a 2-2 record overall, and the Falcons fall to a 1-4 record. The Bombers take on the Walla Walla Blue Devils on Thursday night at home.