(Coralville, IA) — Riverside has made it to the state volleyball tournament and they face off with North Tama in a first round match in Class 1A tonight, coverage on KSOM.
The 4th ranked Bulldogs have beaten Whiting, West Monona, East Mills and Akron Westfield in the regional playoffs, only losing one set. In the regional finals against the Westerners, Riverside overcame some early jitters to sweep A-W including scoring the first 13 points of the 2nd set. Riverside Head Coach Brooke Flathers says this team has been able to overcome adversity all season long — its called Big Dog Mentality
In the regional semifinals, Riverside used great blocking to win. In the regional finals, it was great serving. Junior Bentley Rone leads with 71 aces on the season, Senior Ayla Richardson has 63, Senior Elly Henderson 49, Sophomore Sophia Fenner 45 — and they are serving at a 94 percent clip. Plus, throw in Junior Madison Kelley who has moved into the service rotation and had 5 aces against Akron
Riverside’s three seniors — Elly Henderson, Ayla Richardson and Sophia Taylor — were with this team when they went to state back in 2022. Their experience has been a great help in leading this year’s team back to state says Flathers
#5 North Tama is led by Junior Kruiz Ewoldt with 385 kills plus Freshman Lily Sell throws in 218 kills. The Libero is Junior Addison Hochstetter with 518 digs which ranks third in Class 1A. Riverside has a huge advantage in blocks — 284 to 74. The Bulldogs have the 2nd most blocks in 1A. North Tama’s strength is their service game — 331 total aces which is 2nd behind #1 Ankeny Christian. Flathers says her team has to come out and play to their strengths and no worry about the Redhawks
4th ranked Riverside 38-3 faces #5 North Tama 25-15, Game time is at 8 pm at the Xtreme Arena in Coralville, coverage on KSOM
Complete Interview with Riverside Head Coach Brooke Flathers
