NILES OH- South Range Volleyball stayed in the win column on Tuesday with a 3-0 sweep of Niles (25-14 25-16 25-20).
Izzy Lamparty and Maria Primavera both led the Raiders with 8 kills. Primavera also had 9 digs. Sarah Kuhns and Jamie Feren split the assists on the day. Feren had 18 assists while Kuhns had 14. Reagan Irons led in digs with 19.
South Range returns to the court tomorrow hosting West Branch.
Some of the qualities of sisterhood are love, support, and reliability. It is not hard to see that Anna and Maria Primavera share this everlasting qualities that make sisterhood great. Their bond goes way beyond the one they share on the volleyball court.
Anna the senior of the two knows exactly what it’s like to be a freshman and hold a full rotation spot on varsity. Just four short years ago it was her in those very shoes. The biggest words of wisdom she could give to her sister is to be confident. Maria may be the younger sister you wouldn’t know it based on what you see on the court. They are self admitted very similar players. Both outside hitters, both full rotation, both extremely dangerous swinging their arms. They have an unspoken bond that helps them communicate on the court. Something they say gives them an edge on other teams. One can simply give the other a look to convey a message. No words required. Not to worry though, plenty of words are required to define their relationship.
Anthony Hartwig got the chance to talk to the Primavera sisters together. They talk about their bond on and off the court, how they help each other, and so much more. Please enjoy this special edition of Raider Volleyball Player Profiles Sister Act: Primetime Edition.
SALEM, OH- The South Range Volleyball program hasn’t been to the district rounds in four seasons, but Wednesday night in the semifinals they felt right at home. They swept their way to the championship match with over Lake Center Christian (25-11 25-20 25-18).
The Raiders made a statement in the first set. The story of the set was Emily Irons’ serve and the Primavera sisters. Irons completely neutralized the Tiger offense by causing trouble at the service line. Maria and Anna Primavera combined for 9 of the teams 12 kills. The Raiders rolled in set one 25-11.
In the rest of the match, the Raiders had to navigate a few moments of inconsistency. Against a team that knew how to comeback from large deficits, the shakiness of the Raiders could have easily caused concern. But the team fought through their struggles and never let the Tigers take a lead greater than one. South Range did a great job of managing mistakes and not letting them get out of hand. Even in two when they had 7 attack errors in the first chunk of points they still managed to hit .163. This was largely due to the number of kills coming out of the Raider offense. As a team they finished with 35 kills on the night, averaging just under 12 kills per set. It was simply too much for the scrappy Lake Center team to handle.
Izzy Lamparty led the offense with 11 kills, .3 blocks, and a dig. Anna Primavera also put up a strong night with 10 kills, 7 digs, and 2 aces. Emily Irons finished with 31 assists, 5 aces, and 4 digs. Reagan Irons tallied 18 digs.
South Range advances to play Crestview in the district championship match. That will be played at Salem High School at 2:30.
**EDIT** We previously had the game listed for 1pm, however the correct time is 2:30
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.
It takes a lot to be a full rotation player in volleyball. You have to be reliable in every spot on the floor. For freshman Maria Primavera reliability has never been a problem. Starting as a freshman never phased Primavera, not even in the beginning of the season. She describes herself as a confident player that knew she belonged on the court. Having a sister that has done the same thing when she was a freshman helps. Maria’s sister Anna’s advice to her sister was simply “stay calm.” She attributes her ability to mentally shake things off and staying calm to her start in tennis. Now nearing the end of her freshman season Maria has been a major impact on the team. Maria is one of only 2 players to have 40+ kills and digs. She also is no slouch on the service line. That is the definition of being reliable in volleyball.
Anthony Hartwig caught up with Maria to talk about what its been like having such a big role as a freshman, playing with her sister, and much more. Learn all you need to know about the Raiders youngest star in the latest Player Profile Primetime is Just Getting Started.
The energy inside the South Range gymnasium was simply different on Thursday night. The three seniors on the team were honored before the match started. Each of them wanted to end their careers in their home gym with a positive note. They did just that with a three set win over Niles (25-18 25-23 25-16).
The Raiders came out swinging right away. They were able to hit an outstanding .408 hitting percentage in the opening set. Led by Anna Primavera with 7 kills in that set alone. The Raiders were also a force on the block from the beginning, whether it was Izzy Lamparty or Abby George, the Dragons struggled to get through the Raiders front row. Niles has very scrappy defense that kept things close. However, a late Raider rally gave them a 25-18 win in the first stanza.
The second set was by far the most exciting. Neither team had a lead that was greater than 3. Both teams were finding holes in the other’s defense. Truly a back and forth affair. With the score tied 23-23 the Raiders went to Anna Primavera to get set point, and then Izzy Lamparty put down a block to seal the set 25-23.
After winning such a closely contested set two it was clear that the Raiders had momentum. Niles however fought off the Raiders in the beginning stages of the set, in fact it was tied 12-12. Then it just got to be too much for the Dragons. The flood gates opened and the Raiders went on a 12-1 run to gain match point at 24-13 and eventually the match clinching set 25-16.
Anna Primavera had a double double with 16 kills, and 13 digs. She also tallied 3 aces. Abby George also had a strong night with 8 kills and a block. Maria Primavera had a career night with 12 kills and 7 digs, and an ace. Emily Irons had 40 assists, a season high. Also Irons had 7 digs and an ace. Reagan Irons finished with 20 digs, 4 kills, and 2 assists.
The Raiders now look forward to tournament play. The Raiders first game is Saturday Oct 19 at Salem High School. They await the winner of Columbiana vs Campbell.
Niles opens their tournament Tuesday Oct 15th vs Jefferson at Jefferson.
The South Range Volleyball team dominated Ursuline on Wednesday night with a three set sweep. (25-18 25-15 25-14)
The Raiders used consistent offensive efficiency to cruise their way to victory. In each set they hit above .150. It all started with passing, the Raiders were in system a majority of the night, making it easy to get the ball to all their hitters. This is reflected in the balance of the Raiders attack. They had 4 players with 5 or more kills. Serving also helped the Raiders. The Irish struggled all night to get strong attacks over, being out of system off the serve receive. The Raiders had 10 aces as a team. This is a welcomed hitting performance for the Raiders after struggling to get into rhythm Tuesday night at Hubbard.
Leading the Raiders in kills was Anna Primavera with 15 kills, 4 digs, and an ace. Abby George and Maria Primavera both had 8 kills. Primavera added 3 digs, and 2 aces. Emily Irons had 31 assists, 3 digs, and 2 kills. Reagan Irons finished with 11 digs.
The Raiders return to action Thursday as they travel to Jefferson.
The South Range Volleyball team has no trouble sweeping Struthers Thursday night (25-9 25-11 25-16).
The Raiders used 14 service aces to help them roll against Struthers. Izzy Lamparty got her five aces of the match in one 10-0 rally in set number one. Anna Primavera also scattered five aces in the match. The Raiders hit very efficiently hitting .174 on the match. The win completes an undefeated week for the Raiders.
The Raiders had three players with 6 kills on the night. Anna Primavera, Abby George, and Izzy Lamparty. Maria Primavera led the defense with 7 digs. Emily Irons had 15 assists.
The Raiders return to action Monday as they welcome in Jackson Milton.
CANFIELD, OH- The South Range Volleyball team suffered their first loss of the season Wednesday night with a 4 set loss to Boardman (21-25 14-25 25-22 18-25).
The first set started off back and forth but Boardman was always able to keep at least a one-point lead. Then the Spartans went on a long rally in the middle of the set to take a big enough lead to escape with a four-point win.
The Spartans completely controlled set number 2. They used their speed on the middle block to expose soft spots in the Raiders defense. The Spartans had all the momentum and cruised to a 2-0 match lead.
The Raiders showed tremendous toughness in set number three getting out to a big lead, and keeping it. They pushed to set point 24-17, but Boardman refused to go away. They rattled off 5 points in a row. The Raiders still took the set 25-22 but the Spartans grabbed much-needed momentum.
After dropping the third set Boardman came out in the fourth with intensity. A big 5-0 rally to put them up 13-8 was all they needed to control the clinching set. The Raiders struggled to hit in the set, with a percentage of .052.
Anna Primavera lead the Raiders in kills with 7 and added 3 digs. Izzy Lamparty was a walk at the net, grabbing 15 blocks, also having 5 kills and 2 digs. Emily Irons finished with 19 assists, 3 kills, and 3 digs. Reagan Irons lead the way defensively with 12 digs. Maria Primavera also had 8.
Raiders return to action Thursday night as they host Poland.