Lady Raiders go into district tournament with clean slate, ready for fresh opportunity

The Sidney High volleyball team is currently sitting at 10-20 with an 0-5 record in B district 8 play. This season just hasn't gone the way that head coach Sarah Wilson inteded it to when the first ball was put in play back in September.

But none of that matters now. Wilson and the Lady Raiders know they have a clean slate to work with when the district tournament starts Tuesday afternoon in Alliance.

Season records and district records go out the window. It's all about the next couple of games for Sidney and Wilson is confident in her team heading into them.

"We feel like our district games will be a great opportunity to put together the solid matches that we know we are capable of executing," Wilson said.

Class B District 8 is as winnable a district as any out there. Of the four teams, none have really separated themselves. Alliance is a strong club and should be the favorites to win the tournament, but any one of the four teams have a shot if they heat up at the right time. Wilson and her team know this. Familiary also helps - Sidney has seen each district opponent several times this year.

"We know our district opponents quite well," Wilson said. "In our practices, we have been focusing on directing our offensive and defensive strategies towards what will match up the most effectively with each of the different teams. Overall, our tactical approach is simple: stay focused and cut down on unforced errors, while swinging aggressively at every opportunity. Be two points better than the opponent."

Third-seeded Sidney will play second-seeded Gering (18-15, 6-1) at 5:30 p.m. Top-seeded Allaince and No. 4 Scottsbluff kick things off at 4 p.m. All games will be played in the Alliance High School gym, with the championship game set for 7 p.m.

The district champion will advance to the sub-state game.