Rams too strong, sweep past rival Leopards

The Ringgold volleyball squad brought a very business-like attiude against Mon Valley and Section 3-3A rival Belle Vernon Area Tuesday night.

The right focus was there for the Rams, as the passes were crisp, the hits were ferocious and the defense was relentless.

Ringgold tallied a 3-0 sweep over hosting Belle Vernon, as the Rams remain in second place in the section.

“We took care of business tonight and I loved our focus,” Ringgold coach Adam Thomas said. “We stuck to the game plan and we were working on getting better. We had a couple of slip ups last time out against Elizabeth Forward (3-1 win last Thursday). It was not our cleanest game. So, we had some good practices and started to really focus on our serve-receive.”

The set scores were 25-15, 25-14 and 25-11.

“We have six seniors that can play six different positions,” Rams senior setter Riley Lewis said. “Our overall playing experience has really carried us this year. It is nice to have that consistency on the court.”

Lewis was in control of the offense all night, dishing out 25 assists.

“Offensively, it starts with passing,” Thomas said. “Riley was really good tonight and she got everyone involved. She delivers a very nice ball to our hitters and makes the ball playable. We kept Belle Vernon’s defense moving. She did a good job of quarterbacking our offense tonight.”

Izzie Walsh (9 kills) and McKenna Adams (7 kills/7 service points) were the top hitters for the Rams (10-2, 7-1), while Camryn Bucci had an all-around solid game with 17 digs and 9 service points. Addison Mundorff added more punch at the net with 5 blocks and 4 kills, while Cami Tustin collected 4 kills.

“The experience we have as a team has really been one of the keys to our success this year,” Walsh said. “We faced a lot of high expectations this season, and we are not backing down from that. I think we get better every game.”

For the Leopards (4-9, 2-6), their playoff hopes out of Section 3-3A fade a bit with the setback. After a threegame winning streak, BVA has lost its last three games.

Hailey Lazur anchored the Leopards’ attack with 8 kills and 5 blocks. Joy Johnson garnered 21 digs and Alexa Gray added 11 digs. Gianna Wigand compiled 15 digs and 5 service points for BVA. Other top contributors were Taylor McDaniel (5 kills) and Abbey Nickolls (14 assists).

The visitors quickly went up 3-0 in the opening set and then pushed its lead to 10-3 after a couple of hitting errors by the home team and a spike by Adams.

After the timeout by BVA, Ringgold scored seven of the next 11 points to extend its advantage to 17-7. The Rams went up 19-11 after a kill by Walsh and the Leopards used their second timeout of the night.

The Leopards got as close as 21-13 after consecutive kills by Lazur and Aubrey Brown, but the Rams rallied with four the next six points to secure the opening set.

“We have a lot of different options on offense,” Thomas said. “Our hitters are clicking and we have a lot of trust in them to win us points. The middles and the right side were hitting it earlier on and then everyone else just picked up their game. It was a very clean game for us.”

The Rams once again jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the next set, as Lewis laid down a nifty push for a point and then Walsh hammered down an outside kill. But this time the Leopards had a quick response and took a 7-4 lead after some hitting errors by the visitors. Nickolls and McDaniel also had kills in the spree.

Trailing by three points, Ringgold turned the tide with six straight points and forced the home team to call a timeout. The visitors then pushed its lead with a 10-5 rally, as Walsh caught fire and came down with three straight kills at one point.

“I love it when I’m in that zone at the net,” Walsh said. “I feel like I can hit anything when I am going that way and I feel like all my kills are going down for points. Riley always gives me nice passes and I think as an offense we do a good job of grabbing the momentum and playing with a lot of confidence.”

After back-to-back hits by Walsh made it 21-12, the Rams won four of the next six points for the set win.

In the third set, the Ringgold went to their bench, but their overall play did not diminish a bit on the court. Ringgold led 9-2 at the early stages of the third set and then forced BVA to call a timeout after an ace by Adams increased the Rams’ lead to 14-6.

The Leopards broke the momentum a couple of volleys later with a kill by Lyla Teets to make it 16-7, but the Rams cruised the rest of the way and secured the road triumph with a 9-4 spurt.

“As a setter, my focus is to get the ball to whoever is hot,” Lewis said. “I just have to pay attention to the game and listen to my teammates. I think we have to realize as a team that just because we had a good first half of the section schedule, it does not mean things will be easier in the second half.”

With a rematch with first place Thomas Jefferson looming next week, the Rams are next in action at home against Albert Gallatin Thursday. TJ defeated Ringgold, 3-2, on Sept. 17.

“You got to take it one game at time,” Thomas said. “Everyone knows what is in front of us, but we have to make sure we take care of our business first. Our focus is our next opponent and whoever is right in front of us. I tell them that all the time. We must play our game and play to our strengths.”

BVA travels to Laurel Highlands Thursday for another, critical section showdown.