RAIDERS SAIL TO DISTRICT SEMIS

The South Range Volleyball program got their ticket to the district semifinals with a four set win over Columbiana on Saturday night. (21-25 25-21 25-14 25-20)

The Clippers were the team to start with more energy. Coming off a tournament win on Thursday the Clippers were ready to go. The Raiders in the other hand hadn’t played since Thursday October 10th. The Raiders also had to deal with getting used to the lower ceiling at Salem. The Raiders don’t have a ton of experience in that gym, getting bounced in their first tournament game last season. At least three balls got lost in the rafters for the Raiders in set one. Not to take anything away from the energetic Clipper offense who was putting pressure on the Raiders back row. The Clippers couldn’t have started any better with a 25-21 set one victory.

The Raiders took time to calm down before set two. However, Columbiana still had tons of momentum. They got out to a 9-5 lead and looked poised to keep making noise. The Raiders turned the tide and knotted the set up at 11. Their run didn’t end there as the Raiders continued to plug away and wound up with a 16-1 lead. It was all Raiders from this point on. They kept a late rally from the Clippers in check and took set two 25-21.

The Raiders stormed out of the gates in the next set. The big difference was their net defense. Whether it was Izzy Lamparty or Abby George, the Raider block started to wear down the Columbiana attack. The Raiders rolled through set three 25-14.

The Clippers showed great resiliency to fight back in set number four. The two teams traded points back and forth all the way up until the Raiders led 14-13. Then the Raiders rattled off a couple points in a row to create separation. Clippers still not going away, they tied it back up at 18-18. But the block of Lamparty struck again. The Raiders would get three points in a row two from the block and lead 22-19. They’d go on to win set four 25-20 and the match 3-1.

Izzy Lamparty led the way with 12 kills, 4 blocks, and an ace. The Primavera sisters were both in double figures. Anna finished with 11 kills, 5 digs, and 3 aces. Maria had 10 kills, and 3 digs. Emily Irons tallied a double double with 28 assists, and 10 digs. Reagan Irons had an impressive 31 digs.

The Raiders move on to play Lake Central Catholic on Wednesday at 7:30. That match will be at Salem High School.

Columbiana finishes the season with a record of 11-13.