Riverside wins 14th, downs Loranger and Hosanna Christian

By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

Riverside continues to shuffle its lineup due to injury, but the Rebels also continue to win convincingly.

The team’s latest triumphs came this week via a 25-11, 25-11, and 25-14 win at Hosanna Christian on Tuesday, and a 25-13, 25-5, 26-24 home win over Loranger Thursday.

&#8220We just need to continue to progress and work on our technique,” said junior Jessica Price, who had 28 assists in the win over Loranger. &#8220We need to keep our focus.”

Said Riverside coach Toni Miano: &#8220We were ok today. There are some things we still need to work on, some inconsistencies we have to clean up.”

The Rebels (14-1) fell behind early in the opening game against Loragner, 8-1, but rallied to score 9 of the next ten points. Riverside coasted the rest of the way, finishing the match on a kill by Heidi Garcich, who returned from injury in Tuesday’s game after being sidelined for some time.

In the second game, Riverside got out to a 14-1 lead and never looked back, coasting to the 25-5 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

But Loranger would not fade away in the third game. The teams battled back and forth the entire way. With the Rebels leading 23-21, Garcich’s ace made it 24-21. Loranger took a timeout to regroup, and it proved to be a wise move: it scored the next three points, tying the game at 24.

Shaney Borne made a big play to gain the next point, a kill that netted Riverside a one-point advantage. The Rebels took the next point to clinch the game and the sweep in the match.

&#8220We thought about how we practice in those situations, and that helped us to finish the match,” said Garcich. &#8220We played well as a team. We finally covered the floor like we’re able.”

Marci Millet led the team in aces with four and kills with 17. Heather LeBlanc led the team in digs with 24.

In the win at Hosanna Christian, Marci Millet again led in kills with 12. Kaitlyn Millet notched four blocks, and Price tallied 21 assists. LeBlanc had nine aces and Ashley Forstall had 15 digs.