Sports
No. 11 Lindsey Wilson Narrowly Avoids Rio Upset
By: Cody Linn
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The Rio Grande RedStorm (10-14, 4-10) took No. 11 Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders to the brink but just could not pull off the upset in a five-set thriller, 23-25, 25-23, 27-25, 12-25, and 14-16.
The first game was a back-and-forth affair. The Blue Raiders and RedStorm traded rallies for the first 30 points and played to a 15-15 tie halfway through the set. The rest of the frame was much of the same until Lindsey Wilson took it by two points.
The first set loss, however, did not discourage the RedStorm. With the second tied at 15-15, Rio Grande went on a 6-2 run to take a 21-17 lead, the biggest of the game. Lindsey Wilson answered with its own 6-2 run to tie the game at 23, but the RedStorm persevered and took the next two points to win the set despite committing nine errors.
After leading for much of the third, Rio Grande had game point with a point lead, 24-23. The Blue Raiders answered and then fought off another game point to tie the score at 25, but the RedStorm took the next two points to take the set. The RedStorm led the match at two sets to one on the No. 11 Blue Raiders.
The 2-1 set deficit woke up the sleeping giant. The Blue Raiders jumped out to a 20-7 lead and the RedStorm could not recover from the large deficit. Lindsey Wilson took five of the last 10 points to tie the match at two sets apiece.
The RedStorm led the Blue Raiders by three, 8-5, at the midway point of the final game. Lindsey Wilson turned the table taking seven of the next nine points to take a 13-10 lead, but the RedStorm answered with a 3-0 run to tie it up. However, Lindsey Wilson survived the Rio Grande upset bid by taking three of the last four points to take the match
“We just wanted to come in here relaxed and play to win,” RedStorm head coach Billina Donaldson said.
Donaldson she said she had no idea they would play this well today and when they won the second set, she said she felt that her team saw blood in the water and just kept attacking.
This was only the fourth time in 26 matches that Lindsey Wilson was forced to play five sets.
Miranda Clark and Betsy Schramm led the RedStorm with 15 kills each. Kayla Briley added a team-high 55 assists and Nicole Ogg had a team-high 23 digs.
The RedStorm takes a mini hiatus before they return to action on Friday when they play host to Campbellsville University. First serve is set for 7 p.m.