The Lady Raiders Volleyball team traveled to Erie CC to compete in the first POD play of the season. FM competed against Erie, Jamestown and Niagara. The Raiders dropped their matches to Erie and Jamestown, but bounced back to beat Niagara.
Photo: Megan Ryder pushes the ball past the Niagara defense for the victory.
Click Here for POD Play Photo Gallery
Match One vs. Erie: FM falls 2-3; 18-25 (L), 25-21 (W), 14-25 (L), 26-24 (W), 9-15 (L)
Erie jumped out to a 20-15 lead in the first set. Bri Eagan stopped the Kats' run with a kill and narrowed the margin 23-16. FM was unable to regain the lead and dropped the first set 18-25. In the second set, the Lady Raiders fell behind 15-11 and after a Coach Salvione time out the Raiders bounced back to dominate the rest of the set. FM scored seven straight points to pull ahead 18-15. Megan Ryder and Eagan led the Raiders down the stretch and a Brianna Port block sealed the victory, 25-21.
FM could not get much going and the Kats dominated the third set and won, 25-14. With their backs against the wall the Lady Raiders found a way to crawl back in the 4th set. Erie led 23-21, but Ryder took control of the game and scored three straight points. Julie Hampton came up with a crucial ace to force a 5th set and a 26-24 victory. FM fell behind early in the final set and fell 15-9 to drop the match.
Match Two vs. Jamestown: FM falls 0-3; 14-25, 20-25, 18-25
The Lady Raiders fell behind early, and Jamestown took advantage beating FM 25-14 in the first set. In the second set FM jumped out to a 4-2 lead, but the Jayhawks battled back to a 20-12 lead. Eagan cut the score to 24-20, but it wasn't enough as the Jayhawks took the win. FM was unable to get things going in the final set and dropped the match 3-0.
Match Three vs. Niagara: FM Wins 3-0; 25-17, 25-21 and 25-17
FM brought their best play of the day in their final match against Niagara. The Lady Raiders took the first set 25-17. In the second set, Gabrielle Smith tied things up 11-11 with an ace. Brianna Port extended the FM lead 15-13 and Aspen Darling played well down the stretch to secure the 25-21 win. In the final set of the day FM jumped out to a 5-1 lead and didn't let up as they went on to win 25-17.
Gabby Smith led the day with 85 assists, Ryder led with 50 digs, Eagan finished with 39 kills and Port led with 8 blocks.
The Raiders will host the Herkimer General in their home opener on Wednesday, September 13th. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.