Raiders Advance to Volleyball Regional Finals with Win over Bowie

The PG 4A South regional semifinal volleyball match stood in the way of both the Bowie Bulldogs and Eleanor Roosevelt Raiders on Wednesday, as the two teams inched closer to Friday's regional final game.

Earlier this season, the Bulldogs won in straight sets over the Raiders in Bowie. It was clear that Roosevelt had not forgotten the loss as they huddled before the game on Wednesday shouting "This is our house."

Knowing all too well how a slow start can harm a team, as it did in , Co-Coaches Eileen Lloyd and Sharon Walker pressed in practice for their team to play smart, fast and upbeat and not to rest on their excellent record in the 4A South. This was evident early in the match, as the Raiders were able to dictate the tempo and take a 5-0 lead in the first set. Bowie didn't provide much of a challenge early, committing several defensive and serving errors. The Raiders won the first set, 25-17.

The Bulldogs got more aggressive with their approach in the second set. The match became more interesting as both teams struggled to gain momentum, splitting the first 20 points down the middle, 10-10. However, the Raider fans provided the necessary lift for the home team as Roosevelt eventually took an advantage to win the set, 25-20.

With a 2-0 in the match, everything appeared to be going the Raiders' way. However, Lloyd and Walker preached heavy-handedly to their team to remain on their game and to finish what they had started. Their lecture proved unsuccessful as Bowie found a successful strategy to take an early 7-3 lead in the third set. 

Just when the Bulldogs finally found some answers to combat Roosevelt, bad luck struck. Bowie's Parris Morrissey appeared to severely injure her left ankle, which caused a 30-minute break to ensue as she was treated and carted off the court.  The interruption in the game proved to actually hurt the Raiders, as multiple defensive miscues, missed assignments and a loss of focus among Roosevelt players allowed Bowie to claim the next two sets, 25-14 and 25-17.

In the pivotal fifth set, the Roosevelt coaches did their best to settle the nerves of the Raider players. The score was knotted at three apiece early, but the reliable combination of Julie Houchens' setting and Mega Ngundan's aggressive attacking provided the needed push for the Raiders to pull out ahead and take the deciding set, 15-9, to win the match by a final score of 3-2.

With the semifinal win over Bowie, Roosevelt will pursue its eighth regional championship in school history this Friday against Charles H. Flowers High School.

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