BRONZE MEDAL COMES HOME!
10/22/2024
Our girls put the finishing touch on the season by winning the third-place match and bringing home the bronze medal. A medal that could have been a different color had it not been for Teodora’s injury in the match against Merchiston, but one that is well deserved after all the effort and improvement the girls have shown throughout these weeks of competition.
The pressure of being the favorites weighed on our team at the start of both sets, with Basis gaining a 2-6 lead during a few rallies as the girls were still settling into the match both physically and mentally. After gradually reducing the deficit, four consecutive points from Tisa on serve put us ahead, and we maintained the lead in the set until the end. Basis competed well, but Tisa, Larissa, and the rest of the team raised their level and never allowed the opponents to close the gap to more than four or five points. Zoe and Rue sealed the set with some impressive defensive and offensive plays, bringing us closer to victory.
Individually, while all the girls did an exceptional job, Larissa’s performance stood out in yesterday's win. She wasn’t the player who scored the most points, but she was the one who saved the most defensive plays and always knew what to do, helping her teammates and making good decisions in receptions and settings. Without a doubt, Larissa was the MVP of yesterday's match.
The second set started like the first, with Basis leading 0-5. Some points from Tisa on serve, along with the good work of Larissa, Kelly, and Kelley, kept us close on the scoreboard. It was midway through the set when our girls took the lead and never let it go, feeling comfortable but working hard to manage the point difference. In the end, it was 25-17, and there was an explosion of joy from our girls, along with the boys’ team, who came to cheer on their teammates with chants and support.
On Thursday, the volleyball season will officially close with a match between students and teachers, where the entire RDF family will celebrate the season of our teams.
NO REWARD AT SCIE
10/17/2024
Our girls came close to qualifying for the league final in the semifinals against SCIE. It was a tremendous display of competitiveness, character, resilience, and teamwork that didn’t bring the victory, but it made the RDF coaches and family very proud of our girls.
The start of the match did not bode well. The team paid dearly for their nerves and unforced errors, and the score was 10-2 within the first few minutes. The situation couldn’t have been more difficult: trailing on the scoreboard, facing the home-court advantage of the title favorites, and with the key player injured on the bench. That’s when the comeback began, led by Tisa and Larissa, slowly chipping away at the deficit.
The doubts shifted sides with each point, and despite SCIE calling two timeouts, Kelley, Zoe, Rue, and Kelly raised their game to match Tisa and Larissa’s level. The Eagles got within just two points (22-20). It was then that a controversial decision by the referee, ruling in favor of a ball that had landed out, put the score at 23-20, making it impossible to recover (25-21).
The second set began as a fierce back-and-forth, with our girls showing a level of competitiveness worthy of praise, with standout performances from Tisa, Larissa, and Zoe, all of them playing superbly. The rallies were long, each point hard-fought, and the score was tied (13-12). That’s when SCIE managed to pull ahead slightly after a good serving sequence (20-13), which proved decisive. Our girls managed to narrow the gap again (21-17), but couldn’t take the set (25-20).
Tears welled up on the faces of our players, but despite the loss, this is a match to be immensely proud of. Now it’s time to lift their spirits and close the season with a well-deserved medal on Tuesday, in the bronze match against Basis.
BOYS END WITH A WIN
10/14/2024
Our boys played their last friendly match of the fall and closed their season with a 2-1 victory against HSS, confirming the positive feedback from previous games, where they always had chances to get the win on their side and showed better teamwork on the court.
All the sets were very close and tight, with alternatives on the scoreboard, but the best part of the game is that all our players participated for an entire set and the team demonstrated that could compete no matter who was on the court. Aiden, Jordan, and Jared led the team in the first set, while Anson, Tony, and Jack did so in the second. The tiebreaker went in favor of our boys this time, who put a nice finishing touch on their season.
Meanwhile, the girls played a preparation friendly against the local team before competing in the Final Four semifinals this Thursday against SCIE. The match didn’t have much suspense as our team dominated from start to finish, but it was a great opportunity for players like Chloe, Alice, Kelly, Mary, and Kelley, who had fewer minutes this season, to gain experience and take on more responsibility on the court. A great victory before Thursday’s main event.
