Charleston shows fight, but Richland earns first win

Charleston’s Saylor Humphrey (25) digs during a loss to Richland on Thursday, Sep. 19, 2024.

Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Richland picked up its first win of the season at Charleston on Thursday, Sep. 19.

Despite the chips being down, the Lady Blue Jays (0-6) played with increased intensity and marked improvement as the match progressed.

“I liked the girls’ effort in that third set,” said Charleston coach John Snider. “We weren’t playing our fast-paced style in the first two sets. Richland likes to slow it down and we allowed them to do that. When we play fast, we play better. So, I liked how we started playing our game.”

Daniyah Thomas and Saylor Humphrey were the bright spots for Charleston. Thomas made some key plays at the net and Humphrey battled through an injury to remain on the court, demonstrating her toughness and commitment to the team.

“[Thomas] had a few blocks and also showed some great awareness,” Snider said. “I wanted to take [Humphrey] out, but she refused to let that happen. I know she’s going to need some rest after this one but I couldn’t be more proud of the heart she displayed.”

The Lady Rebels (1-7) dominated the first set, cruising to a 25-6 victory.

“They were taking care of the ball,” said Richland coach Lisa Taylor. “They were doing what they needed to do; passing, setting and attacking.

Charleston showed more fight in the second set, tying the score at 6-6 after an ace by Kylianne Johnson and even taking a momentary lead.

However, the momentum quickly shifted back in favor of Richland, who regained control and built a comfortable advantage.

Humphrey demonstrated her all-around skills by contributing a kill and an ace on consecutive plays to narrow the lead to 18-12, but the Lady Rebels finished strong, winning 25-13 on a powerful, set-clinching kill by Nevaeh Roach.

“[Roach’s] hitting was phenomenal,” said Richland coach Lisa Taylor. “We’ve worked on her confidence all season, and getting back deeper on her approach. She had an exceptional game.

“Overall, our serving was better in the second set,” Taylor continued. “We continued to have good attacks instead of just tipping or sending over those free balls.”

The Lady Blue Jays took an early lead on Humphrey’s ace, but Trinity Pinkley responded with a powerful kill to tie it.

Charleston maintained a slight advantage throughout most of the set, thanks to kills from Humphrey and Bailey Eastman. However, Richland battled back, tying the score at 17-17 after an ace by Marissa VanVacter.

The Lady Rebels again finished strong, going on a 5-0 run to secure the victory with McKenna McBroom’s kill sealing the deal.

“We’ve had a little trouble with finishing matches,” Taylor said. “It’s been tough on our girls because when we’ve gotten down, we’ve had a hard time coming back and fighting. We get in our own heads a little bit, but tonight they were able to finish things out strong and that’s really big for this group.”

Charleston hosts Zalma (1-11-1), while Richland travels to Risco (5-8-1) on Monday, Sep. 23.