Ranger volleyball season comes to an end

The Hill City Rangers opened their post-season volleyball run last Tuesday night in the Region 8 quarterfinals against the Lead-Deadwood Golddiggers—a make-or-break matchup determining who would advance to the semifinals.

Hill City came out strong, fueled by sharp serving by Grace Peckosh, powerful hitting by Demi Schrier and Carlie Hobbick and a gritty defensive hustle. Hill City quickly jumped to an 11-1 lead before a shift in momentum and a string of errors by the Rangers let the Golddiggers back in the door as they chipped away at the deficit.

Despite the comeback, Hill City closed out the set decisively with Aly Isackson at the serving line, helped by Ranger hustle and big plays by Lillie Ham with a well-placed tip over the net and Alaina Dean with a big dig to secure the game point, taking the set 25-16. 

“You always want to make sure you are playing to your level and not someone else’s,” said head coach Allie Henderson. “You can’t sleep on plays. We definitely had moments that we were sleeping a little bit tonight.”

The second set saw Lead-Deadwood tighten things up, keeping the score close in a back-and-forth battle, but Hill City maintained control of the set. Peckosh, Hobbick and Schrier were hitting hard at the net, while libero Dean led the defensive charge and a big block by Ham ended the set with the Rangers up 25-13.

Hill City struck first in the third set, but the ’Diggers answered back, trading points early on. Midway through, the Rangers began to pull away, and Hobbick delivered the final blow, slamming a kill into Golddigger territory and taking the set 25-16 to complete the sweep.

“We were definitely expecting a win tonight,” said Henderson. “I always say no game is an easy game. No point is an easy point. And we saw that.”

“Tonight is just a dress rehearsal for Thursday. So you have to get into that motion of we have to play a fast offense. We have to be connected,” she said. “Sometimes, you do need a little bit of a wake up call to realize that you have something a lot tougher coming, and you have to be prepared.”

Despite a few early missteps, the Rangers were able to re-focus and improved with each set.

“I think we definitely improved each set. We improved our speed, improved our connection a little bit,” she said. “Hopefully that continues to get better, and we come out swinging a little bit faster, a little bit harder at the beginning on Thursday.”

The Rangers advanced to the semifinals to face top-seeded Rapid City Christian (RCC) Thursday night on the Comets’ home court with a spot in the SoDak 16 on the line.

The Comets opened with aggressive serving that rattled the Rangers early, but Hill City quickly steadied their defensive game and rallied back, taking the set 25-19, sending a message that they came to play.

“We came out swinging in the first set and did not let up,” said Henderson. “I told them going in, ‘No mercy, no letting up and you have full permission to celebrate to the fullest extent.’ I wanted celebration and joy even when we made mistakes. Nothing is allowed to affect you. They definitely accomplished that.”

The momentum swung sharply in the second set as the Comets commanded the court. Hill City struggled to find their rhythm and dropped the set 25-9. 

“We definitely struggled,” said Henderson.

RCC put up the first point in the third set, but Hill City’s improved serve-receiving and heavy swings from Schrier and Hobbick kept the Rangers in contention. Midway through, Hill City went on a five-point run to tighten the gap, but the Comets regained control and closed out the set 25-17. 

“We got back on our feet and just came up a little short,” said Henderson.

“The last set, our goal was just to leave it all out there. Win or lose, we cannot have regrets. If mistakes were made, it would have to be because we weren’t afraid to go all out and give our full effort,” Henderson said.

The fourth and final set saw the kind of post-season volleyball fans like to see. With intense rallies, several lead-changes, smart tips, powerful hitting and impressive digs on both sides of the net, the teams left it all on the court.

The Comets went on a five-point run, pulling ahead 24-18. With each play, possibly game-point, the Rangers stayed focused under pressure and clawed their way back 24-22.

“They truly fought in those last 10 points, and that’s all you can ask for,” said Henderson.

A shanked ball on the next rally ended the match and ultimately the Rangers’ season. 

“We definitely weren’t ready to end our season, but with the way we finished, I don’t think there was any bitterness,” said Henderson. “After we finished our post-game huddle, there were lots of hugs and some tears. But even after that, nobody would go to the locker room. Everyone kind of stood there staring at each other, and I knew nobody wanted to leave. That was my favorite part. I’m so happy that that’s our program culture. We are in it together until the end, and we never want it to end.”