Falcon VB Comes From Behind to Beat Trojans

In a key TRC game, Rushford-Peterson volleyball (4-1, 12-5) hosted Fillmore Central (6-0, 10-7).  Per homecomings, the game was played a 1 p.m. in front of most of the Trojans student body and a bunch of FC’s.  It turned into a tense five-set affair.  The story of games one and two was R-P’s serving and/or FC’s serve receive.  The Trojans had six game one aces, as the Falcons struggled mightily to get into their offense.  Nikki Schultz’s Trojans never trailed in posting a 25-14 win.  Game two was similar, albeit FC got better with its passing (the Trojans had just two aces).  But FC’s offense still wasn’t good, with just seven kills.  R-P got that many spikes alone from its go-to hitter, 5’10” junior Kaylee Ruberg (who has truly emerged this season).  The Trojans lone two aces came in a Ruberg four-point serving session that turned a 13-12 Falcon lead into a 16-13 Trojan edge.  R-P led the rest of the way for a 25-19 win, a 2-0 lead.   FC then got its game together.  Key hitter Abby Bothun had five kills in the set three (after just two combined the first two sets).  FC finished the match on a 12-4 run, expanding a 13-12 lead, making it a 25-16 win.  Game four was then the set of the match.  Each team had around 30 digs.  And though the Trojans led 11-6, the game was later tied 15-15.  R-P went up 19-16, only for a 19-19 tie after the Falcons (fighting uphill) won back-to-back key long volleys.  Six ties later, the game sat at 26-26.  An R-P hitting error followed by an Alyssa Britton block ended the set.  FC was even courtesy of a 28-26 win.  R-P was at match point (24-23) once.  Victory came on FC’s third set point.  Game five looked like FCs, as they led 8-2.  But R-P crept back into it, using Ruberg often.  They got to even at 13-13.  R-P then staved off one Falcon match point (14-13), but a Trojan service error made it 15-14, and a Trojan hitting gave FC the match, 16-14.  They came back from down 2-0 to win 3-2 (14-25, 19-25, 25-16, 28-26, 16-14)!  FC was led by new 1,000-assist girl Mensink (5 kills, 41 assists, 14 digs, 17-18 serving), Kammry Broadwater (18 kills, 10 digs), Bothun (13 kills, 27 digs), and Kyla Hellickson (25 digs).  Britton (6 kills), Regan Hanson (4 kills, 7 digs), and Kendyl Kraling (9 digs) helped.  R-P was led by Ruberg’s massive effort (29 kills, .271 hitting, 26 digs, 22-24 serving, 2 aces).   But she got help from Isabelle Kahoun (37 assists, 24 digs, 15-17 serving, 2 aces), Elly Malone (3 kills, 20 digs, 14-16 serving, 3 aces), Hannah Ronnenberg (4 kills, 16 digs, 3 aces), Emarie Jacobson (7 kills, 11 digs, 16-18 serving, 2 aces), and Aviana Anderson-Ingram (3 kills, 12 digs).  The Falcons hit .128 (25 hitting errors) with 6 aces (89-101 serving) and 100 digs.  R-P hit .150 (21 hitting errors) with 13 aces (91-107 serving) and 112 digs.  The Trojans scored 106 total points, FC 102 total points.  R-P is 4-2, 13-6.