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Chase County tops Sidney volleyball, 3-1

The Sidney High volleyball team had a rough outing against Chase County on Tuesday night at the Cabela’s Athletic Facility, falling 3-1 to the Longhorns.

Sidney is just the second team this season to avoid a sweep at the hands of Chase County (10-1). Overall, the Lady Raiders did well to dodge a straight-set loss against a strong squad.

“Chase County is a good ball club and we knew that going in,” Sidney head coach Sarah Wilson said. “Again, there were a lot of good learning opportunities for us to grow as a team.”

For the first few minutes of the opening set, Sidney hung with the Longhorns, trailing 9-7. But as has been a common theme so far this season, Sidney’s opponent was able to construct a sizable run that swung momentum. With repeatedly booming, yet accurate attacks by senior outside hitter MaKeena Ketter, the Longhorns did just that, building a 7-0 run that put them ahead 16-7. Sidney dropped the first set, 25-14.

The second set seemed to be an extension of the first – Chase County defended well and Ketter continued to find space on the Lady Raiders’ side of the net. The Longhorns scored six of the first seven points and that early run set the tone for the rest of the set.

Sidney eventually answered with a 5-1 run of its own to get within 13-10, but Chase County was able to pull away late. The Longhorns also won the second set, 25-14.

In a 2-0 hole, the Lady Raiders exploded out of the gates to start the third set. Their intensity was glaring and it helped them get out to a quick 11-3 lead. Sidney started to block with authority and gained momentum with every point.

But trailing 15-9, the Longhorns managed an 8-2 run that saw them tie the game 17-17. Immediately after, Sidney started a 6-0 run. It had to grind at the end, but held off the Longhorns for the win, 25-22.

Wilson was proud of her team for not giving up after getting down by two sets. The Lady Raiders continued to play hard and forced the Longhorns into a difficult fourth set.

“We got the wind let out of ourselves a bit after the first two sets,” Wilson said. “The girls made a really concerted effort to come out, give it their all and see what they could do in that third set. That’s just sheer determination.”

The Longhorns would close out the match and the victory with a 25-19 win in the final set.

Sophomore outside hitter Maddi Porter and senior middle blocker Savanna Rosenbuam combined for 17 kills in the match. Rosenbaum also collected 4.5 blocks. The Lady Raiders will play Thursday at 4 p.m. in a home triangular against Gering and Kimball.

 

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