By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

John Curtis spoiled the beginning of district play for Riverside Thursday, downing the Rebels 25-18, 25-16, 25-13 at Curtis.

Riverside coach Kristy Hebert said that the size and power of Curtis’ top hitters posed a variety of problems for the Rebels.

“They’ve got big people at the net, all the way around,” said Hebert. “And they hit it hard. Curtis played really well.”

Hebert credited her Rebels with giving a “scrappy” effort defensively, but said that Curtis’ offensive rhythm kept Riverside from developing its own.

“We’d dig their spikes, and we’d sent them over,” said Hebert. “And it came right back at us. We couldn’t overcome their offense, and we struggled to get ours going.”

Taylor Terrio led Riverside (10-14, 0-1)) with 18 digs. Shea LaFountain added nine kills. Kaitlyn Millet and Aimee Williamson each collected an ace, and Williamson had six assists.

The Patriots balance was also an issue for RA.

“They’re pretty even keel across the board,” said Hebert. “They’ve got Ashley Henderson, but all of their players really stepped up. It wasn’t an issue where we could just focus on one or two.

“We obviously didn’t play our best game. But one game doesn’t ruin your season. We’ve got Pope John Paul II on Saturday, so we need to come up with a strong performance and regroup for a pair of district games next week.”

BULLDOGS TOP REBELS: Lutcher defeated Riverside in Reserve on Tuesday, 22-25, 25-13, 25-19, 25-23.

LaFountain led Riverside with 18 kills. Millet had 19 assists. Williamson had 29 digs and Kristy Milioto had three aces.

Hebert said that she was much happier with the way her team played against Lutcher this time, as opposed to the earlier game this season between the teams, a Rebels loss in three games.

But she also pointed to some errors that cost her team.

“In the first game, we kept errors to a minimum. But in the second third and fourth games…we played very well, but we gave away some points. Especially in the fourth game – we were up 23-21, and lost it.”

REBELS GO 1-2 AT TOURNEY: Riverside fell to Newman and Dutchtown at last weekend’s Lutcher tournament, but rebounded with a win over Hahnville.

The Greenies topped the Rebels 25-13, 26-24. Dutchtown notched a 25-16, 25-18 win.

Riverside lost the first game of its match with Hahnville, 16-25. But it captured the next two to win the match, 25-20 and 15-5.

“It was good competition for us,” said Hebert. “We mixed and matched with some spots. I feel like things are coming together at the right time.”