With season at 7-1, Raider volleyball now enters league play

The Lady Raiders are entering the league season with an overall 7-1 win-loss record, following a loss against Brewster and a win against Soap Lake last week.

The Lady Raiders lost to the Lady Bears in three sets Sept. 26 in Brewster.

"Brewster was the better team for the night," said LR Head Coach Kasey Garvin. "We struggled early with passing and putting anything fluid together. We started to find a passing groove in the last two sets, but our net play lacked. It felt like we were playing against two teams: Brewster and ourselves. It's hard to put together a great game when that happens."

Still, LR showed athleticism. "Ellie Hansen and Sean Garvin were our team leaders at the net," Garvin said.

LR won three out of four close sets for the win against the Soap Lake Lady Eagles in Coulee Dam Thursday.

"The stats don't really show the struggle our girls went through," remarked LR Head Coach Kasey Garvin. "It was definitely a roller coaster ride of plays and emotions; they persevered and won the game, though."

"Team leaders were Addy (Addison) and Ellie Hansen at the net, splitting 20 kills evenly between the two," Garvin said. "Ellie had some key blocks and did a fine job helping our defense by stopping a lot of attacks from breaching the net."

Other Lady Raider highlights for the night include Sean Garvin, who helped the team out considerably, netting nine kills, 24 assists, and 18 digs. Megan Abel tallied nine assists for the night, playing the setter position. Chastity Williams logged in 12 digs for the evening, and Rylee Pitner continues to be a force to be reckoned with as a server, serving for 100 percent.

The first eight games played this season were considered "non-league," adding to the team's overall record, but not to the league record. The overall record can affect who enters the playoffs when teams tie for positions in the postseason.

The first league game was played last night as LR hosted Bridgeport in Coulee Dam. The results of that game will be reported online at http://www.grandcoulee.com, as well as in next week's Star.

The Lady Raiders play the Manson Fillies on the road on Thurs., Oct, 5, starting with the JV squad scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

LR will host the Waterville Lady Shockers on Tuesday, Oct. 10. at home in Coulee Dam, again with JV scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

LR vs. Brewster

Scores: 14-25; 20-25; 20-25 (Brewster win)

LR Team stats: 5 aces; 19 kills; 14 assists; 4 blocks; 22 digs; 89% serving

Soap Lake vs. LR

Scores: 25-22; 25-23; 22-25; 25-21 (LR win)

Team Stats: 13 aces; 42 kills; 34 assists; 3 blocks; 65 digs; 81% serving