It’s been a while since the Reeths-Puffer volleyball team won a match, so the Rockets were thrilled on Tuesday when they hosted Holland and beat the Dutch in three straight sets in O-K Green conference action.
The Rockets battled hard in the first two sets and pulled out a pair of tough victories, 25-23 and 25-22. They had to fight back from a 20-15 deficit in the first set to get the crucial first win.
The third set was much easier, with R-P posting a 25-12 victory to sew up the match.
R-P's Hanna Potts serves the ball. Photo/Joe Lane
The Rockets improved to 3-11-1 overall on the season and 1-1 in conference play.
Alissa Klopp moved from middle to outside hitter in the match and had a big impact, leading R-P with 10 kills, along with two digs and one block defensively.
Maddi Dyer ran the offense with 19 assists and also had 11 digs. Megan Barmes served seven aces and had 18 digs.
“After going on a bit of a losing streak, the girls were excited to get back in the win column,” said R-P Coach Justin Birr. “Although it was nice to get a win for our home crowd, there are several areas where we still need to improve to compete against the top half of our conference.
R-P's Alissa Klopp pounds a shot over the net. Photo/Joe Lane
“After the first set, we turned up the focus and intensity. Alissa Klopp moved from middle to outside hitter, and she had some great kills tonight. I am proud to see her adapt and embrace this change, and I think it will balance our offense better. Megan Barmes made some great plays in the back row, and Grace Darke passed really well.
“Overall, we had some great individual plays, but I'd like us to string together more of those plays in a row. Consistency is something we are working on in practice. Balancing consistency and intensity will be our focus heading into the West Ottawa Invite this weekend.”
