By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

McGehee’s Sam Tillery racked up 27 kills to lead McGehee as the Hawks eliminated Riverside from the Division IV volleyball playoffs, 25-18, 25-20, 25-18 at McGehee on Tuesday.

“Our girls kept digging and digging, but we couldn’t put it down,” said Riverside coach Kristy Hebert. “I hate to lose, but I know my girls went down fighting.”

Shea LaFountain led Riverside (16-22) with 10 kills. Kaitlyn Millet had 12 assists and Taylor Terrio added 20 digs.

Carroll Gelderman had 25 digs and Mattie Cannon and Alaina Gagnard each had seven blocks for the Hawks.

McGehee (30-8) is the defending Division IV champion. It advanced to the state quarterfinals at the Pontchartrain Center on Thursday to face University.

The Hawks jumped out to an early 9-4 lead in the first game before Riverside began to creep back into it. The Rebels got within three at 18-15, but it was as close as they’d come. McGehee scored four of the last five points to take a 25-18 victory.

The second game was almost a mirror image of the first, with McGehee again leading 9-4 early on. A Tillery kill gave her team a 15-9 lead – it’s largest lead of the game – before Riverside rattled off three straight points to cut it within three. Tillery answered with two straight kills, and LaFountain followed suit with one of her own.

“I thought the first two games could have gone either way,” said Hebert.

A Millet kill and an ace by Aimee Williamson helped cut a six point McGehee lead to 21-18 late in the game, and the Rebels had momentum.

Riverside cut further into the lead after a LaFountain spike made it 22-20.

McGehee finished strong though, scoring the final three points. Meg Adams scored after blocking a LaFountain effort, to make it 24-20, and Cannon served up an ace to clinch the game.

The third game belonged to the Hawks from the start. McGehee scored the first eight points, and 13 of the first 14 in a run that included four Tillery kills and two Cannon aces.

“Serving is the easiest way to score points, and our first two players were very aggressive at the serving line,” said McGehee coach Val Whitfield-Dunn.

“That’s probably one of the best serving team’s we’ve faced,” noted Hebert.

The Rebels made a late push. LaFountain made three late kills to help cut the lead to 22-15, and after two Tillery spikes put McGehee within a point of advancing, the Rebels scored three in a row to stave off elimination.

But as she had all day, Tillery came through again to finish things off.

Her kill for the 25th point sent McGehee off to the Pontchartrain Center, and left the senior with a lasting memory of her final home match.

“I’m sad to be done here,” said Tillery. I’m gonna miss this place.”