Lady Raiders drop to Liberty Bell in straight sets

The Mountain Lions came prepared and swept the Lady Raiders 3-0 to move into a league tie with Lake Roosevelt.

Last night’s volleyball matches are the determining factor as to who will be second and third from the North Central league moving into tomorrow’s and Saturday’s district matchups.

With the loss to Liberty Bell, the Lady Raiders now own a four-win, three-loss league record, with their overall record at 7-7.

With all the positive momentum the Lady Raiders had gained in the last two weeks, the hope was LR would win and seal up second place.

Instead, as Head Coach Nate Piturachsatit said, “We didn’t carry any of the momentum that we had gained into this game, Liberty Bell certainly did.”

The Lady Raiders played slower and lacked the communication that made the wins over Oroville and Manson easier.

“It was like watching the team we used to be,” Piturachsatit said, “slow, no communication, no leadership, no love for volleyball.”

There were a couple of bright spots for LR. As a team, they served 84 percent, with Tanecia Stanczak going 10 for 10 on the night. Stanczak also contributed seven kills, showing her ability to perform no matter the score.

Piturachsatit hopes to regain the winning mindset this week.

“We have to regain what was lost, rather than carry that momentum into a game against unbeaten Bridgeport,” he said. “I know our girls can do it, they have shown me that this year.”

Last night’s match against the number-one Bridgeport Fillies ended the regular season for the Lady Raiders. Tomorrow LR will travel to Kittitas, where they will play in the first round of the District 5-6 tournament. The Lady Raiders will either play White Swan or Kittitas in a loser-out game. The winner will move on to Wenatchee where four squads will compete for the three state berths up for grabs.

Scores for the match

Liberty Bell LR

25 19

25 17

25 19.