Lady Raiders Return To State Tournament

It was fitting that Sidney's Lady Raider Volleyball team punched their ticket to the 2022 NSAA State Tournament with a three-set sweep of Omaha-Duchesne Academy on Saturday afternoon as it was that same Omaha-Duchesne Academy team that bounced the Lady Raiders from the State Tournament the last time the Lady Raiders qualified back in 2019. Sidney owns a 28-and-6 record, is undefeated at 6-and-0 in District competition, and does not seem to be a team preoccupied with the past or "looking back" at seasons that ended with the terms "might of" or "if only". This is a team that is ready for now, and look to go deep in the Tournament in Lincoln.

The Lady Raiders are a very strong offensive team with big hitters, and also are stacked with athletic and rangy players that not only cover the entire court well, but are willing to go into the bleachers to make a play. After a regular season that had them build a gaudy 25 win record, the Lady Raiders earned home court advantage for the Subdistrict Tournament last week, forcing their rivals to come down south for a chance to earn a District Final game. As the number one seed, Sidney matched up with number four seed Alliance, a team they had beaten previously in the season, 3-to-1. Sidney started the match slowly, a bad habit they have worked to correct all season, and the Lady Bulldogs were able to get up early and take a 1-to-0 lead by winning the first set, 25-to-19, just like they had done in their first meeting. But the Lady Raiders responded well and settled in, taking the next three sets 25-to-23, 25-to-18 and 25-to-23 to take the 3-to-1 victory and end the Lady Bulldog's season while advancing to the championship game against Scottsbluff, who had defeated Gering to earn their spot.

On Wednesday, October 26, Sidney matched up against Scottsbluff for the B-8 Subdistrict title,

an opponent they had defeated twice before earlier in the season. The first set was tight between the teams, with both sides capitalizing on errors and playing better as the first set developed. But the Lady Raiders were able to pull ahead late in the set with a 20-to-17 lead, and kept up the pressure to take the first set by a score of 25-to-20. Scottsbluff started the second set by getting the first point, but then Sidney came back and after two service aces by senior Karsyn Leeling, the Lady Raiders held a 4-to-2 advantage. The teams battled until Sidney went on a run and built a 13-to-6 lead. The Lady Raiders did a great job smacking powerful kills and setting up blocks, and used the whole court and deceptive drop shots to get the Lady Bearcats completely off-balance. Sidney kept up the pressure and played error-free volleyball and came away with a 25-to-10 second set win. Sidney then started the third set hot, and built a 12-to-3 lead, then poured it on. The Scottsbluff girls looked deflated while the Sidney squad covered the court, while senior Reese Riddle piled up assist after assist setting up the Sidney power hitters for kills. A huge roar came from the crowd when junior Payton Schrotberger dove into the bleachers for a save that ended up as a Sidney point. The Lady Raiders went on to take the third set 25-to-16, sweeping away the Lady Bearcats and earning a home District Final match.

On Saturday, the Omaha-Duchesne Lady Cardinals made the long trip west for the 11 a.m. Match time. The Lady Bearcats were 13-and-20 going into the match, but had a solid group of players that had length and could hit. The Sidney Red Zone was packed and the game's them was "Prison Break", with the students decked out in orange, some wearing chains and most sporting temporary face and neck tattoos. Sidney student Matthew Danch was wheeled out on a dolly in restraints, dressed as Hannibal Lechter from the film "Silence of the Lambs". With a rocking crowd behind them, the Lady Raiders went to work, and battled hard with the Lady Cardinals. Neither team could gain an advantage, with a three point lead being the biggest either team would have during the set. At 22-to-23, Sidney rallied to tie the set then go ahead 25-to-24 when Leeling dove on her knees and punched the ball backwards over the net and down to an uncovered spot for the point. Sidney then took the first set 26-to-24.

In the second set the Lady Raiders fell behind early, but after Head Coach Julie Smith called a time out at 2-to-9, the Sidney girls rallied and stormed back to tie the set at 12-to-12 on the strength of senior Rheagan Stanley's strong service run. With timely blocks and smart play, the Lady Raiders kept the Lady Cardinals off balance and out of system with a combination of hard hits, soft drop shots and just plain hustle. The teams battled back and forth through the rest of the set until sophomore Kayla Westby put up a block to end the set 28-to-26 for Sidney. The third set started with Sidney building a big lead, placing the ball all over the Omaha-Duchesne side of the court and keeping the pressure on. With the crowd roaring behind them, the Lady Raiders cruised through the second half of the set and put the Lady Cardinals away 25-to-15 for a three set sweep.

After the match, Head Coach Julie Smith said, "I'm so proud of these girls, they just kept fighting and stayed focused, what a great win." She also commented about the rally in the second set, saying, "I just told them not to look at the score and stay focused and play hard. And they went back out and were outstanding."

Sidney traveled on Tuesday for their first round matchup Wednesday against the 28-and-7 Norris Lady Titans. They come out of Firth, a small town south of Lincoln, and have a group of 6'0" players and a 6'5" hitter. The Lady Raiders will be challenged to get by this team, but fortunately they've been playing their best volleyball at the right time of the season, and hope to go deep in the tournament.