No. 2 Sandhills Rallies to Take Down No. 15 Richard Bland in Thrilling Four-Set Victory
The No. 2-ranked Sandhills Community College Flyers picked up a huge non-conference win Monday night over the 15th-ranked Division II Richard Bland Statesmen in NJCAA volleyball action. Tied heading into the third set, the Flyers rallied for a four-set victory with scores of 28-26, 19-25, 25-13, 25-14.
This win marks the first time the Flyers have defeated the Statesmen in indoor volleyball.
"We knew coming in they were going to be super aggressive; they're ranked 15th in Division II. They've got some awesome hitters, super scrappy, and I knew it was going to be a battle," Flyers head coach Alicia Riggan said. "I just thought the crowd was great, and I thought these girls did a great job battling back and forth. I'm just proud of the way the girls communicated, supported each other, and worked together tonight."
The Flyers (26-2) and the Statesmen (16-3) traded points early on in the first set, with just one point separating the two powerhouse squads. The back-and-forth play continued late into the set and needed extra points to decide the winner, with the Flyers claiming the first-set thriller and a 1-0 lead.
Momentum carried over into the second set, but the Statesmen used a series of rallies to pull ahead of Sandhills, 15-11. The Flyers clawed their way back into the set, but Richard Bland closed it out on a 6-1 run to even the match at 1-1.
The third set saw the Flyers jump out to a 5-3 lead before the Statesmen flipped the script to go ahead 10-6. Trailing late, the Flyers got hot and fought their way back, with the set tied nine different times. Sandhills completed the comeback to take the 2-1 lead.
"That's the grit I feel like these girls have been showing all season. I feel like they always play with good composure, they're calm, and they support each other. I think that helps create opportunities that might not be going our way at the time, and we're able to bring it back and focus together," Riggan said.
"I think we just took away from the second set where we gave them so many big leads, and we just came together. We wouldn't let a ball drop on the floor, and we got the lead," Averi Cuddeback said.
Using the momentum from the third-set win, the Flyers stepped on the gas early in the fourth and never let up—jumping on Richard Bland quickly to build a commanding 22-11 lead before closing out the match.
Brooke Emore led the way with 14 kills, one assist, one ace, and 14 digs. Reagan Malpass followed with 17 assists and nine digs. Cuddeback finished the night with two kills, 27 assists, five aces, and three digs.
"I played with four of them last year (in club ball), and I really wanted this game. We just worked hard, and everybody knew I wanted it, and we came together as a team out there," Cuddeback said on facing her former high school and club volleyball teammates.
The Flyers will have a quick turnaround when they take on the Central Carolina Community College Cougars in Region 10 action on Wednesday at home. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
Z. Ciboth