SIOUX FALLS After dropping the first set, the Sioux Falls Roosevelt Rough Riders stormed back to take the next three sets to defeat the Huron Tigers Tuesday in Sioux Falls.
Set scores for Roosevelt, now 13-9, were 23-25, 25-19, 25-17, and 25-11.
The two teams started the first set on streaks, with Huron taking the first three points on two Roosevelt hitting errors and an Hylton Heinz ace. The Rough Riders responded with three straight points, all on Huron hitting errors.
Samantha Mangmoradeth nailed the first kill of the match for either team to make it 4-3, but Roosevelt then got a kill from Izzy Brinkman and another from Kaylee Evenson to give the home team a 5-4 lead.
It would be the only lead of the first set for Sioux Falls.
Addyson Knight got a kill through the outstretched arms of Roosevelt blockers, then she went back to the service line.
Three aces and two Aurora Dreyer kills later, the Tigers had jumped out to a 10-5 lead.
Evenson started what would be a long night for Huron net defenders with a kill, then she stepped back for an ace to make it 10-7, but Dreyer tipped over the defense to make it 11-7.
Roosevelt got within one at 15-14 on an ace from Katie Bleeker and after a timeout from coach Joshua Lien, a kill from Brinkman knotted the score at 15.
Huron then took off, using strong defense to force errors by the hitters for Roosevelt. Dreyer had a fading tip hit the floor for a kill and Knight pushed one through the Rough Rider defense to make it 20-15 and draw a timeout from Sioux Falls coach Kevin Vanderwal.
Evenson hitting and Huron errors allowed the Rough Riders to get within 23-22, but Jencie Goergen chose set point to drop in her first quick set kill, giving Huron a 25-23 first set victory.
Christy Moncur dropped in a service ace for the Rough Riders, but a pair of kills from Chloe Carr and Goergen gave the Tigers the lead at 2-1 early in the second set.
The Rough Riders followed Evensons impressive hitting to a 7-2 run that drew a timeout from Lien. After the timeout, the Rough Riders were able to push the lead out to 11-5 before Huron began a run.
The Tigers used timely hitting by Carr and strong defense at the net to get Roosevelt out of system as they climed back into the game, knotting the game at 13-all on a Knight kill and then taking a lead on a kill by Mangmoradeth.
Another hitting error by Roosevelt pushed the Huron lead out to 15-13, but Roosevelt responded. A kill by Evenson tied the score at 16 and setter Kate Wiebesiek landed a quick set kill after a long volley to give Roosevelt back the lead at 17-16.
Lien would call a timeout, and Huron responded to tie the score at 18 on a Dreyer block/kill, but that is when 6-foot-1 middle hitter Avery Allenstein rejected three hits in a row for block/kills, sending Roosevelt to a lead that they would close out when a Huron swing went wide, taking the second set, 25-19.
A kill from Knight opened the third set, but Roosevelt then followed the hitting of Evenson and Brinkman to nine straight points to take a 9-1 lead.
Huron was able to use a run of poor hitting by Roosevelt and well-placed shots by Dreyer and Carr to get back within four at 19-15 Roosevelt, but could never get any closer as a Moncur service ace ended the set at 25-17, giving Roosevelt a two-to-one match lead.
Again, in the fourth set, the Tigers got the first point, with Carr putting a shot between blockers, but that would be the only Huron lead of the set, as Roosevelt ran away with the fourth set, 25-11.
Lien saw that the fourth set just got away as his team didnt have anything left to fight with.
When the gas tank emptied, that set got away from us, Lien observed. We just didnt have enough fuel left after just trying to stay in that set early.
Roosevelt was led by Evenson with 21 kills and a pair of aces as the Rough Riders scored 12 aces on Huron.
Lien was impressed by the Roosevelt senior outside hitter.
Evenson was a stud, he said, with a shake of the head. She bested us. She hit a lot of balls that we werent able to defend.
Rylie Brouwer put down 11 kills and Brinkman added 10 kills and an ace.
Bleeker had four aces and Moncur had three aces.
Huron falls to 6-11. Dreyer led a balanced Huron attack with eight kills. Mangmoradeth and Carr each had seven kills, while Knight had six and Aly Davis had five.
Knight added three aces, all in the first set.
Roosevelt swept the lower-level action, taking the junior varsity match 25-15 and 25-12. Sophomores fell in three sets.
Despite the loss, Lien saw things he liked in his clubs play.
At the end of the day, we did fine. We had two starters hit negative and didnt win the ace battle, Lien acknowledged. Weve just got to find a way to win over the course of five sets.
The Tigers will host second-ranked Jefferson on Thursday in the annual pink out volleyball game to raise funds for breast cancer awareness. The annual fundraising event is what Lien hopes the community comes out to help support.
Thursday is about more than just volleyball, he encouraged. Well honor 45 women, I think, as part of the pregame and raise some money for HRMC, so hopefully everyone comes out!
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