RESERVE – The Riverside Academy Lady Rebels (25-14) defeated the University Lab Lady Cubs (16-23) Monday during round two of volleyball playoffs.

The Lady Rebels’ 3-0 victory, with scores of 25-22, 25-22 and 25-18, secured them a spot in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Riverside Academy head volleyball coach Margot Frederick said her players were really composed Monday.

“We probably put together one of our most consistent matches of the year,” she said. “It was a great win for them.”

Frederick said the Lady Rebels spent their bye week practicing and stressing the importance of making good decisions with the ball.

“We told them they don’t always have to try to be macho and score a point,” she said. “We told them they need to make smart choices as far as where they put the ball. Sometimes the best shot is the smart shot, not necessarily the most powerful shot. We did a really good job of that.”

Frederick said the Lady Rebels played better than she expected.

“We served really well (Monday),” Frederick said. “That was one of the biggest things. U High struggled with serve receive, and we did a fantastic job of serving. We only missed one in the net and a couple of others deep. Our philosophy is if you’re going to miss, miss deep because the other team has to make a decision on whether they are going to play the ball or not. That was a big, bright spot for us.”

Briley Becker finished with 12 kills, Abby Bourgeois contributed 33 assists and Sydney Joseph collected 12 kills and six aces.

The team combined for 17 aces.

“Abby Bourgeois put together a really solid performance for us,” Frederick said. “She has, at times, struggled with doubling balls, but she only got called for one double (Monday) and she made a ton of defensive plays for us. That was really awesome to see. She made some really smart choices.

“Briley Becker and Sydney Joseph have been our studs all year, and they played great for us (Monday). Everybody who was on the court contributed something great throughout the match. It was definitely a team effort. Brooke Arceneaux made a great save, and we scored on it. Kate St. Pierre blocked a few times and got us some points. Everybody did a little something here and there. They played really well and it was definitely a group effort.”

Riverside Academy will play Notre Dame High School Thursday in the quarterfinal round of playoffs. As of press time Tuesday, the time and location had not been announced.

By Courtney Griggs