Sidney volleyball swept by North Platte and Ogallala

In sports, they often say that you learn more from defeat than you do from victory. That saying held true when the Sidney High girls' volleyball team was swept by host North Platte and Ogallala on Thursday night.

The Lady Raiders fell to 0-2 on the season. But this season is a work in progress and the team views these matches as learning experiences. After all, North Platte is as strong a team this season as they have been in years and Ogallala is a perennial powerhouse at the class C level.

There is indeed no shame in losing to these two squads. Sidney played hard in each match and its players held their heads high.

"We felt best about our first match against North Platte," Sidney head coach Sarah Wilson said. "They are a very solid team, ran a very quick offense and didn't make very many mistakes which forced us to be honest and play back aggressively. I though the ladies did a very good job. They saw a level of play that they are aspiring toward."

Against North Platte, the Lady Raiders quickly fell behind. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 5-0 lead and looked dominating at times. Sidney did a great job of limiting huge Bulldog runs though. North Platte never scored more than five consecutive points and the Lady Raiders fought aggressively for every point. Still, the Bulldogs were just too much and took the first set, 25-9.

Sidney came out much better in the second set against North Platte. The Lady Raiders made more defensive plays and were really able to slow North Platte's attack. At one point the second set score was 10-9 in favor of the Bulldogs. Sidney fell behind again, got back within five points at 18-13, but ultimately fell in the second set, 25-14.

Senior middle blocker Savanna Rosenbaum, who finished the evening with 10 kills and three blocks, said that the team was trying to get a feel for its opponent. As it got more comfortable and familiar with the other side, Sidney gained some confidence.

"The first set was kind of that learning experience to see what we were up against," Rosenbaum said. "We were able to pull it together better in the second sets."

Sidney's second match against Ogallala proved to be the more difficult one. The Lady Raiders couldn't keep Ogallala from getting on hot streaks that at times saw them score 10 or more consecutive points.

That explained how the Indians got out to a 15-3 lead over Sidney in the first set. The Sidney players know they need to be stronger defensively and are confident that they will be.

"It's just something we all have to work on," said senior outside hitter Vanessa Riley, who allied six digs over the two matches. "It starts with us, it's not something our coach can teach us. The seniors, especially the ones who have played on varsity have to hold the team together and just work through it."

Sidney never got comfortable in the first set against the Indians, falling 25-5. But just like it did in the first match, the team played significantly better in the second set. The Lady Raiders were able to capitalize on a few Ogallala mistakes and get as close as 14-7, before falling 25-11.

In improving its overall play in the second sets of each match, Sidney displayed an impressive resiliency even in the face of being outmatched.

"That's a tribute to the girls," Wilson said. "I think when you can raise your level of play in the second set it shows you are continuing to fight and pursue and not giving up. That's something the girls can feel very good about."

Riley says she believes the team needs to focus on improving its blocking the most before it takes the court again.

"We really rely on our blocks and sometimes our blockers are put in weird situations where they can't quite get there," Riley said. "We're so used to our blockers being there and so we set our defense behind them."

Fatigue may have also been a factor for Sidney as the Ogallala match progressed.

"I felt like in the Ogallala game, our energy level dropped toward the end and it exposed our weaknesses and they (the Sidney players) are very aware of that," Wilson said. "It's a good time in the season to learn how to overcome that."

The Lady Raiders are looking forward to taking the lessons they learned in these two defeats and applying them to their season going forward. They are confident they'll be a better a team because of it.

"I think we'll respond well from this," Wilson said. "I think next week will be a good week for us on the road."

Sidney will go for its first win of the 2014 season when it faces Mitchell on the road on Tuesday.