Raider spikers sweep River Falls

The Raider volleyball team made short work of River Falls in its’ only match last week, serving at a 94 percent clip on its way to a 25-21, 25-22, 25-16 Big Rivers Conference victory over the Wildcats.

Hudson’s strong serving forced River Falls into a high number of reception errors. When the Wildcats did play the ball, the Raider passing and hitting was on the mark.

“This was a nice match for our team,” head coach Dennis Saathoff said. “Overall we passed better than we have been in conference play, which allowed us to run more plays to our middle attackers, which in turn left our outside hitters with more one-on-one situations, which meant we had a balanced attack from all three hitting positions.”

Stephanie Little and Karina Zenz were the top two Raiders in both kills and blocks while Elle Schwartz was just one block off the pace. Amber Saathoff, Maddie Drewiske and Jamie Lindstrom also had multiple kills while Saathoff and Ashley Fall led the team in serving aces. Torrie Traynor, Hannah Wirth, Drewiske and Zenz also had an ace apiece.

“Defensively, Wirth and Drewiske handled most of the service receptions and Alexa Beauclaire came in late and made some very good passes in the service rotations,” Saathoff said. “Alexa Belanger read off the side hitters well and contributed with some nice digs, which transitioned into quick kills in the middle.”

Saathoff said the Raiders made few unforced hitting errors in the match.

“That is a sign that our hitters are starting to recognize when it is the proper time to swing away and when it is better to place the ball in the court and then play good defense,” he said.

Up next for the Raiders is a trip north for the Maple Northwestern Tournament Saturday, Sept. 25. They follow that with two matches in two days—at Baldwin-Woodville Monday, Sept. 27, and home against Eau Claire North Tuesday, Sept. 28.

Tags: sports, volleyball, raiders, prep