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The Lady Raiders’ varsity volleyball team has already seen the early results of their improvement from last year to this season. After winning just eight matches last season, Rice has already reached half of that total just nine matches into their season. Improved net play and defense allowed the Lady Raiders to split their games in the Ganado-hosted tournament and take a victory against Faith Academy later in the week as well.
Vs Sacred Heart, L, 2-0 The Lady Raiders got a chance to display their ability to stay competitive from as early as their opening match of the season. Despite suffering a sweep loss, Rice kept the first game tight as Sacred Heart needed a win-bytwo situation to claim the victory. The teams played an intense set that resulted in a 29-27 victory for Sacred Heart. The Lady Raiders did not have the same level of success in the next game, falling 2513 in a difficult loss.
Vs Flatonia, L, 2-0
Rice’s follow up game against Flatonia once again displayed how competitive the Lady Raiders have made matches this season. Their offensive attack has improved along with their receiving on defense as they stayed close with the Lady Dogs in this match. The Lady Raiders reached the 20-point mark in both sets on the way to a close defeat.
Flatonia took a 25-22 advantage in game one as the Lady Raiders kept the game close. They lost some ground in the second set, falling in a 25-20 loss to take the match defeat.
Vs Brazosport, W, 2-1 The first match of the Ganado tournament brought the Lady Raiders their first win of the season as well. Rice had a strong performance against Brazosport, outplaying them in two of their three games to claim the season’s first match victory. Rice took an impressive win in the first set, beating their opponents by a 25-16 margin after a good defensive performance. They battled in the second set as Brazosport gained some momentum in the match. Rice fell in game two 2523 in a close defeat that forced a decisive game three.
The Lady Raiders took the advantage in the third game of the match with a 15-9 victory that secured the match win for Rice.
Vs Danbury, L, 2-0
Rice’s encore performance in the Ganado tournament led to another match loss for their record. The offense struggled somewhat in the first set, falling in a 25-15 defeat as they had difficulties keeping the game close.
Game two was a much tighter battle, but the Lady Raiders still fell despite keeping the set much closer. Rice lost in game two 25-20 to fall to a 1-1 record in Ganado.
Vs Columbia, L, 2-0
The Lady Raiders match against Columbia was similar to their prior defeat against Danbury. Not only was the 2-game sweep result the same, but each set finished with the exact same score as their loss in the previous game. Like against Danbury, the Lady Raiders fell by a 2515 margin in the first set and then a 25-20 margin in a much closer game to finish the match.
Vs Wharton, L, 2-1
Rice suffered their third straight loss in heartbreaking fashion as they pushed their opponents to the brink on multiple occasions. The Lady Raiders got the match started with a strong victory in the first set. They took a 2521 win to establish their standard of performance since the season began.
However, the following sets were a pair of the tightest games Rice has had all season as they fell in a 27-25 defeat in game two to force a clinching game three to decide the game. They fell by a 27-25 margin once again in the third set as they fell to their third-straight defeat.
Vs Ganado, W, 2-0
The Lady Raiders started to get their momentum back with a solid victory against the tournament hosts as they played through the consolation bracket. Their improved defensive effort appeared once again as they held their opponents to less than 20 points in both games of the sweep victory.
Rice battled to a hardfought win in the first set, taking a 25-19 win against Ganado to take the match advantage. They followed that performance with a dominant win in the second game to claim the match. They finished the hosts off with a 25-12 win that saw the Lady Raiders perform well at every phase.
Vs Luling, W, 2-0
Rice’s first win streak of the season needed another strong performance to end the Ganado tournament before they could boast the season milestone. The Lady Raiders did exactly that as they finished the two-game sweep against the Lady Eagles to claim their second-straight victory. Rice defeated Luling in both games by a margin of 25-19 as they claimed the consolation bracket victory to finish the tournament.
Vs Faith Academy, W, 3-1 The momentum from the Ganado tournament carried over for the Lady Raiders as they extended their win streak to three matches. The Lady Raiders played like a cohesive unit as they finished their non-district opponents in four games.
Game one was another tight win for Rice as they completed their fifth set that finished with a twopoint margin of victory for the winning team. The Lady Raiders claimed a 2523 win in the first set after a difficult battle. Rice had some difficulties in the second set, falling in a 25-14 effort that left a little to be desired.
However, they responded with two strong sets in a row, taking a difficult 26-24 win in game three before finishing the match with a 25-16 win in the clinching game.
