Liberty sweeps Reardan in volleyball

REARDAN - As the volleyball season heads down the homestretch, the Screaming Eagles have shown flashes of greatness mixed with inconsistent play and losses. In their match against Liberty on Thursday, Oct 5, this was the case as they challenged the Lancers but lost in straight sets 27-25, 25-10, 25-21.

The Screaming Eagles opened up a 14-8 lead before the Lancers rallied and knotted the score at 17.

Reardan's Kaylynn Clouse and Tenice Waters played big at the net as the teams raced to 25 points. Clouse's two kills and Waters' block and dink helped the Screaming Eagles tie the game 24-24.

Liberty overpowered Reardan at the end, sealing the first set with a serving ace.

Fueled by kill shots and a 10-point run, the Lancers dominated the second set, winning 25-10.

The final set was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team opening up more than a three-point margin. Lillie Whitman and Sprecher kept rallies alive with seven and five digs, respectively, and each scored two points on aces.

Liberty won the last two points of the game to secure the 25-21 win and the straight set sweep.

Sprecher led Reardan with four kills and 14 digs. Whitman tallied 13 digs and six assists.

Raegan Soliday was solid on the back line, successfully handling 23 serves.

Kendall Denny led the Lancers with 12 assists. Zoe Omlin had 10 digs and Devyn Cook recorded nine kills.

"We played a lot better today," Reardan assistant coach Mike Lyon said. "We probably played our best volleyball of the season."

"We started the game with good energy, but had a letdown in the second set," Reardan's Olivia Wicks said. "Our covering and hits were good, but we need to keep our energy and motivation steady throughout the whole match."

Liberty's win improved its record to 6-3 and dropped Reardan to 3-7. Reardan then dropped another straight-set match to first-place Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Tuesday, Oct. 10 to fall to 3-8.

The Screaming Eagles' next home game will be Thursday, Oct. 12 against Jenkins (Chewelah).