The varsity volleyball team faced off against the Cedar Ridge Raiders on Tuesday, Oct. 9 in a killer battle which ended with a 3-2 loss for the Lady Warriors. As students walked in, they got tickets and earned prizes during timeouts since it was Student Night. Even though the Raiders and the Warriors fought hard in every set, they were still supportive of each other’s hard work.

“I think Cedar Ridge did a really good job at making us earn all of our points rather than giving us any errors,” assistant coach Amber Hall said. “I think we can also eliminate errors on our part too.”

Starting off the first set strong, Macy Prenger ‘19 served to earn two points. Following her serves, Caroline Suter ‘19 spiked the ball over the net, and Maggie Stout ‘19 blocked the ball, which landed on the Raider’s side of the court. Kills were made by Suter, Zoe Menendez ‘20, and Audrey Quesnel ‘20, ending the set with a score of 25-16.

“I think we performed really well in the first two sets, and then we got a little bit complacent and we didn’t finish strong,” Quesnel said.

Beginning the second set, Abby Gregorczyk ‘21 made many kills that added multiple points to the scoreboard. Cedar Ridge served short of the net, earning a point for the Warriors which they followed up with intense serves by Pregner. Quesnel also had countless kills, and the set ended with a score of 25-20.

“Our middles, Audrey Quesnel and Abby Gregorczyk, did really really well,” Coach Hall said. “Abby had 15 kills and Audrey had 14 so they had a really good game; I was proud of them.”

The third set was a fierce battle between the two teams. Suter scored the first point of the match, followed by Prenger who saved the ball from going out. Kenzie Beckham ‘21 had many spikes, continuing the Warriors’ streak. Towards the end of the set, the fight became very tense because the teams battled for every point possible. Menendez earned the last point of the match for the Warriors, but the Raiders still won the set with a score of 25-24.

“We should have finish[ed] faster and maybe want[ed] it a little more,” Quesnel said.

With the Raiders winning their first set by always staying ahead with their powerful serves and hits, the Warriors were hopeful for a comeback. Menendez had numerous kills throughout the set, and Gregorczyk made sly tips over the net. During the set, the ladies kept each other’s energy up by communicating after every play. The final score of the set was 25-22 in favor of the Raiders, tying the overall score 2-2.

“I thought their attitude was slowly improving,” Coach Hall said. “Obviously there is still room for improvement.”

Ending the game with set five, the Lady Warriors attempted to pull through but were not able to in the end. The score was a constantly going back and forth between the teams, with the Raiders at an advantage finishing the game with a score of 21-19.

“It could have gone better,” Coach Hall said. “I thought [in] the first two sets, they did a really great job. Unfortunately, it’s the curse of the third set.”

Catch the Lady Warriors playing the Hendrickson Hawks on Tuesday, Oct. 16.