(Oakland, IA) — Riverside volleyball will look to advance to the Regional Finals for the second year in a row as they host East Mills in the quarterfinals tonight, coverage on KSOM.
The Bulldogs swept Whiting (25-4, 25-6. 25-3) in the first round but did lose a set against West Monona (25-23, 25-18, 18-25, 25-15) before winning in four. Riverside Head Coach Brooke Flathers is not concerned
It’s hard to defend Riverside because there are so many weapons –Senior Elly Henderson leads with 253 kills; Senior Sophia Taylor and Junior Bentley Rone each have 226 kills; and even Sophomore Sydney Somers has been improving as the season as gone on with 176 kills according to Flathers
East Mills is also a strong offensive team — the total kills between the two teams are pretty equal — 1127 for the Wolverines and 1113 for the Bulldogs. Senior Evelyn Stoakes leads the Wolverines with 361 followed by Junior Loycee Palmer with 327 but Flathers has faith in her diggers and blockers to defend their hitters
The two teams are familiar with each other — back in late August Riverside won 2 -1 (14-21, 24-22, 15-10) at a tournament in Avoca. Flathers says it doesn’t really mean anything
#14 East Mills (26-9) visits #4 Riverside (36-3) in a Class 1A, Region 4 Semifinal. Game time is at 7 pm, coverage on KSOM. The winner will play either Akron Westfield or Trinity Christian in the Regional Finals on Wednesday with a berth in the state tournament on the line.
Complete Interview with Head Coach Brooke Flathers