(Oakland, IA) – In a competitive match, the Riverside Bulldogs were able to edge the Audubon Wheelers 3-1. Riverside was dominant in the first two sets, as the Wheelers woke up in set three and made it a battle all the way down to the wire.
Riverside led the first set 25-17 with the likes of Ely Henderson and Elyssa Amdor dominating on the front row attacks and on defense. The Bulldogs were able to keep Audubon on their toes on every play, and with the right-side hitting ability of Sophia Taylor, Riverside looked very good in the first set. Audubon struggled in the first set as they were not able to consistently get their serves over the net and had multiple miscommunication errors.
Set two saw another Riverside victory as they won 25-16. The push was led by the back row in set two, as the Bulldogs saw shining moments for Carly Henderson on multiple saves. Ayla Richarson also played very well in the second set as she found multiple gaps in the Wheelers’ defense. Riverside started to roll with every opportunity that they were given and capitalized on every Audubon mistake.
When set three came around the corner, it came out like no other. Audubon seemed to get the wake-up call, and rather than hitting snooze, they jumped out ready to play. Mattie Nielsen started to control her hits and really came out lights-out in the third set. She also helped to be competitive in the blocking game as she earned a block in the third set for Audubon. Harlow Miller also started to adjust to her back-row attacks as that strategy started to fulfill the needs of the Wheelers. Both Miller and Nielsen also stepped up in the serving game, as both of them were finding gaps on Riverside’s side of the floor and were taking advantage. Audubon won the third set 25-15.
Coach Flathers knew that her team could come out and make a mark on Audubon. She told her team to remain calm and confident on the floor, and that confidence showed in the fourth set.
Set four saw an early Audubon lead as they sparked off 3-1. Riverside began to edge their way back into the game as they eventually took a 4-3 lead after tight play at the net. This saw a bounce back by the Wheelers as they began to go back and forth in the set. Riverside began to play back to the way that we saw in sets one and two, but Audubon still continued with their stride. Setter Addie Hocker began to make big plays for Audubon and connect with Mattie Nielsen on multiple explosive plays. Regardless of Audubon’s success, Riverside was able to beat the Wheelers in a close 25-22 fourth set. Coach Flathers was impressed with her team defensively and credited her athletes for knowing their roles on the floor.
Audubon was led in kills by Mattie Nielsen as the senior accumulated 22 kills in the match, most of which came in the last two sets. Nielsen also earned 13 digs, one block, and had three aces. Harlow Miller also helped out in the front row as she had 10 kills and earned two blocks and three aces. They couldn’t do it without setter Addie Hocker as she dished out 31 assists while also earning 12 digs. Kadence Sporrer led the team in digs with 14 and earned four kills on the night.
Riverside was led in the game by Ely Henderson with 12 kills and two blocks while also digging up six balls on the night. Sophia Taylor hit very well on the weak side with nine kills and one block. Libero Carly Hendersen had 15 digs on the night while keeping Riverside in set four. Bentley Rone had six kills while also putting down a block and notching in an ace. Elyssa Amdor may not have led in kills as she had six, but she played great defensively with five digs. Coach Flathers is looking for her team to continue taking things one step at a time.
Audubon will take on Missouri Valley in their next match on September 12th. Riverside has a chance to match up against Griswold again in the Tiger Volleyball Tournament on Saturday.
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