Raider spikers grind out win

The Raider volleyball team recovered from a rough first set to win the next three and post a 3-1 victory over Ellsworth in the 2010 season opener last Thursday, Aug. 26 at the high school gym.

The Raiders dropped the first set, 9-25, before coming back to win the next three, 25-19, 25-16 and 25-7.

Hudson coach Dennis Saathoff said describing the first set as “pretty rough” is an understatement.

“We let two of their servers go on runs of eight and seven points and never scored more than one point in our own service turns,” he noted. “Beginning with set two the girls started to move their feet and get ii position to pass, and things got better every set as the night went on.”

Saathoff said beginning in the second set, Maddie Drewiske sparked the Raiders’ left side attack and Britni Eberlin stepped up and started making plays.

He said the Raiders’ libero, Torrie Traynor, also began making sharper passes, which allowed the team’s setters, Amber Saathoff and Ashley Fall, to move the ball around. As a result, the Raiders were able to establish their middle attack with Stephanie Little and Katrina Zenz, who were far quicker than their opponents.

“We started to block better as we began to frustrate their left side hitter with Alexa Belanger, Elle Schwartz and Saathoff all getting blocks on that side,” the coach said. “Early in the match, Jamie Lindstrom had some blocks against their right side hitters, and late in the match Alexa Beauclaire came in and played solid defense.”

Saathoff said even though the Raiders started out struggling, he was proud of the way the team kept battling.

“They came together and quit making the mental errors that plagued them the first set and they got better each set as the match went along,” he said. “Even in this first match of the season they showed they are not willing to go down without a fight, and they have set those expectations of themselves for the rest of the season.

“I think they figured out that when one person is struggling, there are others there to pick them up until they can get it back, and that they can trust each other to play hard under all circumstances.”

The Raiders will open the Big Rivers Conference portion of their schedule Thursday, Sept. 2, at home against Eau Claire Memorial. Tip-off is 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7, they travel to Menomonie before hosting the Hudson Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 11, beginning at 10 a.m.

Tags: sports, volleyball, raiders, prep