RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Rapid City Stevens Raider volleyball team held off the Sturgis Scoopers in set one, then turned on the afterburners in sets two and three to take the match three sets to zero Tuesday night, Oct. 27 at Carold Heier Gymnasium.
Stevens downed Sturgis 25-21, 25-12 and 25-14 in dominating fashion.
Set one was back and forth and the Raiders led 11-9 when junior setter Joellen Cano stepped to the service line and reeled off six straight points. Stevens head coach Kylie Voorhees called a time out with Sturgis leading 15-11, which slowed the Scooper momentum. The Raiders closed the gap and tied up the set at 15 apiece behind the serving of senior setter Julia Lee. The set was tied at 20-20 and Stevens pulled away after two straight aces by Hanna Fischer and outlasted the Scoopers 25-21.
Sturgis, normally a slow starting squad, was out of rhythm and got behind early in set two and could not catch up. Stevens led 12-6 midway through the set. Miscommunication by the Scooper back line and mental errors allowed the Raiders to build an unsurmountable lead and Stevens won set two, 25-12.
Raider junior outside hitter Bailee Sobczak and opposite hitter Carsyn Mettler traded kills throughout set three as Stevens built a 13-7 lead. The Scoopers, behind kills from Kaylee Whatley and Makayla Keffler, outscored Stevens 4-2 and it looked like Sturgis had some momentum. Julia Lee then took control of the set and drilled two straight aces past the Scooper back line to give Stevens a lead of 17-11. Three straight Sturgis errors gave the Raiders a 24-14 lead and Sobczak ended the third set on a high-velocity kill, 25-14 to win the match.
Stevens, 11-12 on the season, was led by Lee, with 24 assists, four aces and three kills. Sobczak added 13 kills, two blocks and one ace and libero Cami Mettler was a defensive force with seven digs, two aces and one assist. The Raiders head east Friday and Saturday, where they meet Huron and Mitchell.
Whatley had six kills for Sturgis, with Keffeler adding five kills. Jillian Beck had four kills and Joellen Cano chipped in 15 assists, three aces and two digs. The loss was the seventh straight for Sturgis, who falls to 8-15. The Scoopers host Stevens on Monday, Nov. 2. First serve is slated for 7pm.
