Raiders slip to 6-5, are still above .500

Consider it a sign of the times: things went wrong last week for the Hastings volleyball team and the Raiders lost two games. That said, the Raiders still have a winning record on the season, proof of how far the team has come this year, coach Rita Girgen said.

“At 6-5, we’re still sitting in a good place right now,” Girgen said. “We’ve had some big wins that we hope to build on. We’re learning from our losses and we’ll continue to focus on the things we need to do in order to be successful and on the winning side of things.”

One of those big wins that Girgen referenced was last Monday’s win over Farmington. That match was followed up Tuesday with a tough Suburban East Conference loss to Roseville.

“Monday’s win against Farmington was such a highlight for us,” Girgen said. “It was a huge win, and it would have been nice to have a day between Farmington and Roseville. It would have helped us out.”

Hastings lost the first two games, 25-23 and 25-17, before rallying to win the third, 25-23. Roseville closed out the match with a 25-13 win in the fourth game.

“By all means, it was not our best game,” Girgen said.

Girgen said several players had a really good match against Roseville, despite the loss.

Captain Biancca DuFour, for example, had 15 kills to lead the team. Fellow captain Devon Santelman also had a big night, recording 15 digs to lead the team.

“Our captains are playing exceptionally well right now,” Girgen said.

Grace Rolloff drew praise from Girgen, too.

“She is stepping up and really starting to play a big role offensively and defensively for us right now,” she said. “She had 15 serving points at Roseville, and she is starting to get more comfortable with her role.”

Tabitha McCloud, a senior setter and back-row player, fared well against Roseville as well.

“She really stepped up against Roseville,” Girgen said. “She’s getting some more playing time, and she’s done a really job of coming in there. She brings really good energy to the team. She helped us in that third set against Roseville – she helped us get to the fourth game in that one. We’re really proud of how she handled herself in that situation.”

Other stats from the Roseville loss went like this:

Kills – Rolloff had seven.

Set assists – McCloud had 16 and Kaylyn Nicklay had 12.

Digs – DuFour had 12 and Rolloff had 12.

Blocks – DuFour had three assists and Courtney Van De Velde had one solo and one assist.

Service aces – DuFour had two.

Serving points – Santelman had seven.

Serve receive average – Santelman led the way with a 2.16 and Rolloff was second with a 1.75.

Vs Woodbury

Hastings lost to Woodbury on Thursday night, 25-22, 25-21 and 25-17.

“We should have won that one,” Girgen said.

Girgen suspects her team is just as good as any other team physically speaking. The youthful Raiders, though, are lacking experience, and that is showing in some of these close conference matches, she said.

“We are emotionally and mentally really, really young compared to a lot of the teams we are playing,” Girgen said. “At this point in the season, that mental game is affecting us more than it is affecting the other varsity teams that are older. Physically, we can hang with every team we have played. Physically, we’re just as good as any team we have played, if not better.”

Stats from the Woodbury match went like this:

Kills – DuFour led the team with 11, and Cydney Lovich had eight.

Set assists – Nicklay had 16 and McCloud had six.

Digs – DuFour had seven and Santelman had six.

Service aces – Shelby Wassink had three and Nicklay had two.

Serving points – Wassink had 11 and Nicklay had five.

Serve receive average – DuFour had a 2.17 average and Santelman had a 2.0.

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