Reardan volleyball tops Davenport in four sets

Visitors recover after Gorillas begin to mount comeback

| Last updated Sep 30, 2021 5:9pm0

Drew Lawson | The Times

The Reardan volleyball team celebrates a successful point in the first set Wednesday, Sept. 30. Reardan knocked off the hometown Davenport Gorillas in four sets Sept. 29.

DAVENPORT-The Gorillas came into Wednesday night's matchup looking for its second NE2B win in as many nights, but it was the rival visitors from Reardan that earned its first league win this season. Reardan knocked off Davenport in four sets (25-11, 25-16, 22-25, 25-18) Sept. 29.

Reardan improved to 4-3 overall and got its first NE2B win this season in four tries. The team's previous three losses all came over nonleague opponents.

Davenport, meanwhile, fell to 1-5 after earning its first win of the season by sweeping St. George's Tuesday night.

Reardan came out with its guns blazing Wednesday, taking an 11-6 lead in the first set that would extend to 25-11. In the second set, Reardan started off with a 9-2 lead before winning the set 25-16.

The match looked like it might be headed for a sweep after Reardan led 6-1 at the start of the third set, but the Gorillas battled back. Davenport came back to tie the set 8-8, and the teams went back and forth until the Gorillas managed to build a 22-18 lead. Reardan then scored three straight points, but Davenport would win the third set 25-22 to stay alive.

The fourth set also started competitively, but Reardan managed to hold the Gorillas off and build a three-point lead before pulling away for the match-clinching 25-18 victory.

Reardan was led by a balanced attack headed by junior Coalie Whitman, who had 13 assists, five aces, two digs and two blocks. Junior Justine Flett had eight kills and two digs, while senior Kendall Little added six kills and two blocks for Reardan.

Senior Kylee Buchanan led Davenport with six kills, 10 assists and a dig. Sophomore Chloe Delafield also had six kills for Davenport, while eighth-grader Faith Bell, promoted to varsity after an injury to Allison Jorden, had five assists and a dig.

Reardan will look to continue its winning momentum in a difficult matchup against league power Liberty Tuesday, Oct. 5 at home. Davenport will look to get back on track in a nonleague match at Odessa Saturday, Oct. 2 at noon.