Lady Raiders finish short of districts

Lady Raider Volleyball missed out on going to the district tournament after losing to Liberty Bell in a tiebreaker match Thursday, three games to one.

“This was a particularly hard loss as it was the last game of the season and our goal was to make it to the postseason,” Head Coach Nate Piturachsatit said. “Our girls have tons of potential if they are willing to put in the gym time.”

After losing to Okanogan Oct. 28, the Lady Raiders needed to pick up their spirits and play their hearts out against Liberty Bell to ensure a chance at playing the Waterville Shockers in the first round at districts. The match was played at Pateros High School on Oct. 30th. Pateros placed two rows of folding chairs on the court for the fans as the new bleachers had not arrived yet to replace those damaged during the recovery effort after last summer’s fires.

Against Liberty Bell the Lady Raiders and Mt. Lions seesawed for leads and mistakes. During the first three games one team would get hot and have a scoring streak, then turn cold as the other team gained momentum. Liberty Bell took two of those early games and the Lady Raiders came back and took the fourth. In the fourth game the Lady Raiders ran out of gas and the Mt. Lions went in for the kill.

Sean Garvin had several great digs that kept volleys alive against the Mt. Lions. Garvin also led the team with 10 kills. Jocelyn Moore contributed nine kills, and Kayley Duclos chipped in eight against Liberty Bell.

Coach Piturachsatit praised Areielle White for her play in the back row. “As libero (defensive specialist), we count on her to make a majority of our passes, and she has come through all season,” the coach said. “Her position doesn’t always get lots of stats but her hard work deserves to be recognized.”

Against Liberty Bell, the Raiders continued to struggle to string enough serves together to build substantial leads. Service errors allowed Liberty Bell to come back and win the second game.

Looking to next season, Piturachsatit believes the team could be a strong competitor. LR is losing only three seniors, only one an every-match starter. With the majority of the varsity returning after an offseason of working out and camps, LR could be looking at a district berth.

“I’m hoping for some commitment from the girls during the off season,” the coach said.

At Pateros vs Liberty Bell

LR 19 22 25 15

LB 25 25 22 25