Raiders topple district foe Alliance

When Sidney’s Sarah Mahr passed to her sister Emily who set up Cody Rowley’s kill shot, it was just the beginning of what would become a rough night for the host Alliance Bulldogs.

The Raider volleyball team parlayed that opening point into a 25-6 opening-set victory enroute to a 3-0 district win over Alliance. Despite a blowout in the opener, however, the Bulldogs refused to go quietly. In withstanding a teanacious Alliance comeback attempt, Sidney finally wore down their rivals 25-23 and 25-20 in the final two sets.

The win advances the Raiders season mark to 17-9 and their district record to 6-1. With their outstanding play in the district, the Raiders have put themselves in a commanding position to host the sub districts early next month.

“The girls are doing a better job of getting ready to play right out of the box,” said Sidney Head Coach Sarah Wilson. “We also have more players like Savanna (Rosenbaum) and Annalise (Lecher) who are playing at a high level.”

Similarly, senior Sarah Mahr said, “We have a lot of players involved now. We also have players coming off the bench and contributing. It’s not just a few players getting it done.”

In addition to scoring the game’s first point, Rowley was the first player at the service line. When last she was seen in that position on Tuesday night, she went on a 12-point run to put Gering away in the fifth set. The Raiders went on another such run after Rowley’s serve staked them to a 4-0 lead.

With the score at 5-1 Vanessa Riley matched Rowley’s Tuesday feat with a 12-point stretch of her own. Before Riley was retired, Sidney had opened up a 17-1 advantage. Sarah Mahr helped Riley’s run get off on the right foot with a convincing shot off the body of an Alliance player.

Courtnie Highland, Porter and Sarah Mahr continued their support of Riley’s at bat with solid scoring shots. Alliance’s Tabitha Unzicker finally put a stop to the Sidney onslaught by blocking a Sidney kill attempt. But the Raiders kept up the heat and finished out the set 8-4 to complete a lopsided win.

“Vanessa was really teriffic with her serve tonight,” Rowley said. “It’s nice to know that on this team you can trust all the players.”

Despite their tough opening set, Alliance had no intention of tucking tail and running. This was. afterall, the Bulldogs senior nightand they were playing in front of their partisan-home crowd. The ‘Dogs talented hitter Kennedy Cyza upped her game and libero Kami Felker did a solid job of digging out the Raiders agressive serves.

“We did not come out ready to play in the first set,” said Bulldogs Head Coach Hope Gillaspy. “I just wish my girls could clear themselves of the mental block that keeps us from winning tight games.”

A Cyza kill shot gave Alliance a 3-1 lead early in the second set. The Bulldogs kept the lead until the Raiders finally tied the matter at 9-9 and again at 10 - thanks to Rowley’s push shot to the uncovered Alliance back court. But still, Sidney couldn’t wrest the lead away. Aided by a couple of Gabrielle Conley kills, the ‘Dogs reestablished a four-point lead at 17-13.

The Raider pattern of getting close and slipping back continued for much of set two. Solid serving, inlcuding aces by Sarah Mahr and Riley, helpd stem the tide of several Alliance mini runs.

It wasn’t until Emily Mahr threw down an ace that Sidney finally took a lead at 22-21. Seconds later, Emily’s sister Sarah teamed up with Savanna Rosenbaum for a block and a two-point lead. Sarah Mahr ended the contest with a hard, spinning serve for an ace that went untouched in the Alliance back court.

Where as set one was a blowout and set two a constant chase from behind, Sidney and Alliance played see-saw in set three. There were six ties early on and neither team could establish more than a two-point edge.

Sidney’s solid serving continued in the tight-third set. Emily Mahr dropped another ace during the back-and-forth battle. The Raiders finally opened a little daylight at 15-10 by going on a short run with Rowley serving. Though the Bulldogs were several times able to reel the Raiders back in, they never again had the lead. Lecher ended the set by tipping a shot into open Bulldogs territory.

“We’ve really started taking practices more seriously,” said Rowley. “That effort has tranferred itself to the games really well.”

The Raiders will be back in Alliance on Saturday for a tournament the Bulldogs are hosting. The theme of the tournament is breast cancer awareness. Sidney will first go up against district foe Gering at 11 a.m. Lexington was originally scheduled to be Sidney’s first opponent but has since dropped out.

As October is Breast Cancer Awarness Month, the Raiders will hold a Pink Out during Tuesday’s home match against Kimball. More information on the Pink Out will be available in Monday’s edition of the Sun-Telegraph.