Raiders on a roll
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It’s not too early in the NSSAA senior girls volleyball season to say the Delhi Raiders are rolling.
The blue and gold hosted the defending county champion Valley Heights Bears on Dec. 14 and recorded their third straight victory to open the year by a score of 3-0 (25-12, 25-16, 25-23).
A veteran Raiders squad got up early and were full value for another win headed towards the Christmas break.
“I think we’ve actually done pretty well,” said Raider Josie Hall. “We’ve had good communication, we’re working on our passing and I just think we need to work on talking more and movement around the court.”
Hall said the Raiders had been relatively quiet in their previous wins vs. Simcoe and Waterford but made their voices heard at home against VHSS.
“In our past games we haven’t talked a lot so today we talked a lot more and it was good communication from the team,” she said.
Hall is just one of a veteran core for the Raiders that also features the likes of Inge Hoogenboom, Gemma Ladosz, and Ashley Spain. The group is led by longtime senior team coach Kerry Gillispie.
“It’s great because when you have the same teammates, you know how everyone works and it’s a good system to have,” said Hall.
When it comes to experience, the Bears are at the opposite end of the spectrum. Valley’s entire starting line from last season has moved on, and Joe Hamm has replaced longtime bench boss Terry Reimer.
“It’s just a completely new team,” said Hamm. “I think they’ve just got to build their confidence because positionally and knowing the game, they have that down pat. They’ve just got to keep developing their skills and gain that confidence that they can (win). Every team that we’ve played, we’ve been competitive with.”
Wins have been difficult to come by for Valley Heights to this point but Hamm feels good about the future of the program.
“Every game we’ve built on and we haven’t regressed any, we’ve only progressed,” he said. “As long as that keeps happening you’ve got a good team.”
The Bears will enjoy a bye Dec. 18 while the Raiders prepare for their biggest game of the season – a match with the 2-1 Holy Trinity Titans.
Delhi will be at home for the contest, which could serve as a NSSAA finals preview.
“We just need to keep working as a team,” said Hall. “Good movement, good communication, and good passes.”
In the junior contest, the Bears beat the Raiders 3-0.
jrobinson@postmedia.com
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