Lady Raiders drop backto- back district games

The Rice Lady Raiders dug themselves into a hole this week after dropping back-to-back district games to Industrial and Tidehaven this past week.

There is still plenty of time to get back on track and there is no doubt the Lady Raiders will use these losses as fuel to their fire to get better.

Vs. Industrial, L, 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-17) Starting their week on their home court the Lady Raiders welcomed Industrial for their first district match of the week.

The first set saw Industrial come out firing on all cylinders and jumped out to an early lead. The Lady Raiders offense was able to find their groove a little bit towards the end of the set but Industrial closed out the set to halt any momentum the Lady Raiders gained.

The second set saw the Lady Raiders show some of their grit and came back with a bout of an edge to their game. They returned to the Lady Raiders team we are accustomed to seeing this year with aggressive and unapologetic offense and posted 19 points in an effort to get themselves back into the game.

Unfortunately, this was not the case as Industrial closed out the second set and put a lot of pressure on the Lady Raiders heading into the third set. Industrial came out again firing on all cylinders and closed out the set and the match.

The Lady Raiders are still trying to figure out their defense they are struggling to get to their spots and are stagnant at times. If the Lady Raiders hoped to pick up a win they would have to step up on the defensive end of the ball.

@ Tidehaven, L 3-2 (18-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25 22, 15-8) In their second district game of the week the Lady Raiders hit the road to Tidehaven looking to get back in the win column.

They started the set off dropping back-to-back sets again struggling on defense. In the huddle before the third set Lady Raiders head coach David Leist demanded that his team step up, respond and execute on defense and they did just that.

The Lady Raiders defense played with a newfound sense of urgency, and it paid off in a major way. Tidehaven’s offense kept things close, but the Lady Raiders defense was there to hold them off for just long enough for their offense to even the match at two sets a piece.

In the fifth set both teams gave everything they had and the Lady Raiders defense again had had another solid set but offensively they just could not get over the hump. Industrial closed out the game and handed the Lady Raiders their second loss of the week.

The Lady Raiders did not enjoy dropping backto- back games and will be looking to bounce back against Yoakum on Tuesday, Oct. 1.