Coach: Split week belies "great things" in volleyball

The Lady Raiders split the week with a win and loss, but their coach doesn't really see it that way.

The Lake Roosevelt team beat Bridgeport in three sets in Coulee Dam Tuesday night, 25-12, 25-7, 25-17.

With a 6-4 win-loss record in league (6-4 overall), the Raiders are two-thirds through their season, currently third in the league between Okanogan (7-1, 9-1), and Brewster (4-3, 4-4).

After LR's win over Bridgeport in Coulee Dam Tuesday, Coach Kasey Garvin reflected on the win and on their Oct. 5 loss in Okanogan, 3-0.

"It's tough for me to try to explain to them that that was a win," Garvin said.

The way Garvin sees it, the game at Okanogan, the last in a series of nine in just over four weeks, showed how far the team has come this season.

"Even though the score didn't reflect it, the girls ... took away Okanogan's offense; they just had to tip to get a point," she said. "They've been doing really great things."

Garvin pointed to strong attacks, serving zones consistently, and digging, which they didn't do at the start of the season.

Against Brewster, Carly Neddo had some "crazy strong" hits that came down at the 10-foot line, Garvin noted.

"Every time she swung ... she hit that spot. ... She's been working on trying to hit around the middle blocker, ... and she did a great job of ... hitting that goal."

Nevaeh English kept digging balls, keeping the play alive, Garvin said. And Shy Marchand served the last eight serves in the second set, scoring on an ace to win it.

The LR team heads to Tonasket Thursday to take on the Tigers (4-4, 4-5) at 6 p.m. They'll head to Liberty Bell for a 12:30 game on Saturday.

The Lady Raiders face Manson (8-0, 11-0) at home next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.