Riverhawks Outmatch Bombers - By Mackenzie Schulz
Going into the game against Chiawana, Richland’s volleyball team knew it was going to be competitive. Previously, Richland beat Chiawana 3-2 in the first round of conference play. This time around, Chiawana wasn’t going to settle for a loss. Chiawana won the match 3-1, with Richland putting up a tough fight. The game wasn’t easy for either team; it was full of long rallies, making each point earned.
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| Photo: Gabriella Cervantes |
When asked about their plan going into the game, Valarie Anderson, Richland’s head coach, responded, “Our plan of action was to come in attacking their setter position to keep them out of the system in their offense. When Chiawana's players get frustrated, they tend to become completely disconnected from each other. We were hoping to put enough pressure on them to keep them from gelling well on the court against us. “
During the upcoming practices, Richland coaches emphasized serve-receive passing and attacking to the setter position in their drills. Richland’s Aubrey Hudson, a senior outside hitter, said, “We have worked on having a strong start and making sure to play strong right out of the gate. Last time, we missed quite a few serves, so it will definitely be a focus for us to keep our serves in.”
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| Photo: Gabriella Cervantes |
The first set started off with Bailey Niebel acing her serve to gain Chiawana a point. Richland then had a short run consisting of an ace from Madison Maxwell and a hit from Aubrey Hudson, giving Richland the lead 3-1. Chiawana regained the lead 3-6, by a block and a hit from Kaia Foster and from Richland’s errors. Through Chiawana’s inaccurate hitting and a solid block by Richland’s Makiya Woodruff, Richland was able to gain back the lead 15-10. Woodruff, soon after, aced two serves, but Chiawana’s Courtney Huston was unable to return the serve, forcing Chiawana to call a timeout to regroup. Richland led 18-13, but Chiawana closed the gap 19-18, capitalizing on Richland’s mistakes. Meeting Chiawana’s intensity, Richland forced Chiawana to make mistakes, increasing their lead 23-19. Another timeout was called by Chiawana to stop Richland’s momentum and gain their own. Chiawana tied the game up at 24-24, causing Richland to call their own timeout. Richland subbed Cara Harrington in, and she was set up for a hit, scoring a point for Richland. Richland lost the set 26-28, after failing to hit the ball in bounds.
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| Photo: Gabriella Cervantes |
In the second set, Richland took an early lead 9-3. Jocelyn Gaca kept the ball alive through her tough digs, which set Woodruff up for several kills. Chiawana called a timeout, which slowed Richland down and allowed Chiawana to score two points. Hudson got the Bomber offense started back up by getting a kill. Olivia Killian had good defense by the net, getting several blocks for Richland. Chiawana struggled to get their hits over the net due to the intensity Richland brought into this set. Anna Hansen had several hits which led to Richland scoring. Richland led 19-7, and there was a timeout call by Chiawana. At the net, Hansen played tough defense, getting several blocks alongside Killian. Richland won the set 25-10.
Richland started off strong in set three, leading 5-1 with solid hits from Woodruff. Chiawana struggled to get a good offense going and their points relied on Richland making an error. Hailey Anderson set the ball to Hudson for a hit, which got shanked off of Huston, maintaining Richlands lead 11-7. Taking the lead 15-18, Chiawana came back over a series of missed hits and unplayable passes on hit returns by Richland. Both teams were working extremely hard, and doing their best to maintain focus as the fatigue was settling in. Gaca went for many digs, but her teammates were unable to keep the play alive. Chiwana was up 17-21. Not getting very many good looks, Richland called a timeout to discuss their strategy. However, Richland was unable to convert, and lost the set 18-25.
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| Photo: Gabriella Cervantes |
Richland had a rough start to the fourth set, trailing 1-6. Hudson and Giuliana Garcia both got good looks and were able to score. Both teams gave up points by hitting out of bounds and neither team took true control of the set at the beginning. When Anderson was serving, Richland tied up the game 13-13. Killian went on a stretch of blocking and hitting, which gave Richland the boost it needed. Unfortunately for Richland, Chiawana was up to serve, and it became difficult for Richland’s offense. Chiawana took the lead 14-18, and Richland called a timeout. Harrington had a powerful kill, giving hope to Richland with a score of 15-20. Foster went for a kill, but the ball got caught up in the net. Niebel got a good look and was able to get a kill. Richland got a double called against them and lost on a final hit from Foster, 18-25.
Richland put up a good fight, but in the end, Chiawana was out for revenge and capitalized on Richland’s errors. “I think our team was 'comfortable' coming into this match. We need every player on our team coming in mentally and physically eager to dominate and fight for each point. Our intensity needs to be more focused all the time,” Coach Anderson responded when asked what her takeaway was. “We are a strong physical team with great chemistry on the court. When we are on, we are competitors and are unstoppable. This team can and should go far. We plan to fight for one of the two births to state this season!"
