Rangers advance to SoDak 16

The Hill City Rangers defeated the Broncs of Belle Fourche, winning all three sets during last Thursday evening’s Region 8A tournament play.

Set one was a nailbiter, with the two teams playing evenly, staying within three points of each other nearly the entire game.

“I think the first set had a little to do with nerves,” said the Rangers’ new head volleyball coach Renae Schneider. “Belle was firing on all cylinders. Belle’s outside hitter was hitting over the top of our blockers down the line effectively. We adjusted our coverage and the blockers started closing the block and limited her the rest of the game. I think once the girls settled into play, they just were gritty at the end of that first set. They just needed to relax and play.”

The Rangers won the first set by a mere three points, 25-22.

With that win, the Rangers proved why they are deep in postseason play in the first place. They took an early lead in match two, scoring three unanswered points with only a foul putting Belle on the board. 

Although the set was tied briefly at 6-6, the Rangers settled down and smashed balls over the net, pulling ahead and staying on top. The match ended with a score of 25-18.

They easily annihilated the Broncs in the third set with a score of 25-6. 

The “second and third sets, they realized that their offensive attacks were effective and hitting hard shots were getting them out of system,” said  Schneider. “Marie Peckosh had an outstanding attacking night. Belle had a hard time getting their hands on her ball. Another key in the second and third sets were our blocking. When you have blockers getting three fourths of their arms over the net, it makes it extremely hard for the other side to hit above that and land it in bounds.”

The Rangers now move on to play in the SoDak 16 Nov. 9 at Kadoka High School. The No. 6 ranked Rangers take on the No. 11 ranked Warriors of Winner at 6:30 p.m.