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The Rice Lady Raiders’ varsity volleyball team had somewhat of a rough outing during the Schulenburg-hosted tournament over the weekend as they failed to pick up a victory throughout the competition. Some of their momentum from an early-week win against Hitchcock carried over as they stayed competitive in many of the matches. However, they could not convert their best performances into wins as they struggled through a difficult field of teams that featured some of the top teams in the state.
Vs Hitchcock, W, 3-1
The Lady Raiders had one of their most dominant wins of the season against Hitchcock to start the week as they held their opponents’ offensive attack in check to end the match. Rice started with a tight game one against the Lady Bulldogs, securing a 25-21 victory to open the match.
Hitchcock took the advantage in game two, holding the Lady Raiders to just 18 points in a 2518 win.
The following sets were entirely in Rice’s favor as they dominated on both sides of the ball on the way to a match win. After winning game three by a 25-11 margin, the Lady Raiders had their best set of the match with a 25-10 victory to clinch the win.
Vs Goliad, L, 2-0
The momentum from their earlier win did not carry into their first match of the Schulenburg tournament as they struggled to find points against a stingy Goliad defense. Goliad held Rice to less than 10 points in the first set, taking a 25-8 victory to open the tourney.
Rice got a little bit closer in the second set but could not hold off the sweep as they fell in a 25-12 defeat to fall in their first match.
Vs Brazos, L, 2-0
The Lady Raiders had a much stronger performance offensively in their next match against the Lady Cougars as they reached the 15-point threshold in both sets.
They reached 20 points in game one but eventually fell by a 25-21 margin. They lost some ground in the second set, falling by a 25-15 scoreline to take their second loss of the tournament.
Vs Weimar, L, 2-0
The Weimar Ladycats gave Rice a difficult competition as Weimar has remained one of the top 2A teams throughout the early part of the season.
The first set featured a strong battle by the Lady Raiders as they tried to keep things close. Rice managed to score 17 points against the Ladycats’ strong defensive scheme on the way to a game one loss.
Game two was a difficult outing for Rice as they failed to reach double digits in a 25-9 defeat to their fellow Colorado County school.
Vs Hallettsville, L 2-1
The Lady Raiders took their first set victory of the tournament during their second day of competition. They opened the match against Hallettsville with a big 25-17 victory as they came in with lots of focus on both sides of the ball.
Game two was highly competitive as Rice pushed Hallettsville past 25 points to win the second set. The Lady Raiders could not take the advantage in game two as they fell 26-24. Rice lost a little momentum in the clinching set as they lost game three by a 25-18 margin.
Vs Burton, L, 2-0
Rice once again had some offensive struggles against Burton in their follow-up match after facing Hallettsville. They nearly reached 20 points in game one after a 25-19 loss to start the match. However, they had many difficulties in game two as they failed to reach double digits in a 25-8 defeat.
Vs Gonzales, L, 2-1
The Lady Raiders had a competitive match with Gonzales throughout each of the first two sets. The two teams had an intense battle in the first set that ended with Gonzales taking a 28-26 victory. The Lady Raiders responded with a big win in game two that saw them take a 25-12 win over their opponents.
Rice just could not sustain their success into the final game of the match, falling in a 25-10 defeat that clinched the match for Gonzales.
Vs Brazos, L, 2-1
After Rice’s last pool play match, the Lady Raiders went on to play in the Copper Bracket to compete against some of the teams they faced earlier in the tourney. In the rematch against Brazos, Rice came out with high energy as they jumped out to a big 25-16 win in game one. However, they failed to reach 20 points in their remaining sets as they fell in a 25-18 defeat in game two and a 25-17 loss in game three.
Vs Hallettsville, L, 2-0
The Lady Raiders finished their tournament run with another competitive match against Hallettsville. They reached the 20-point threshold in game one, but they could not get any closer as they fell in a 25-20 defeat. Game two was similar to game one, but the Lady Raiders lost a point on the scoreline as they lost the second set by a 25-19 margin.
