Another day means another win for the Riverside Bulldogs as they defeated the Treynor Cardinals 3-0 on Thursday night. Although the Bulldogs won all three sets, the Cardinals didn’t make it easy. Neither side was able to go on long, extended runs, as the middle part of all three sets went back and forth. However, Riverside always seemed to find the extra gear to pull away at the end.

As has been the case all season, it was a total team effort for Riverside. Defensively, four bulldogs had ten or more digs. Sophia Fenner led the team with 14, including two that seemed improbable at best, to keep rallies alive.  Up front, sophomore Vivian Gross continues to be a factor as both she and Arabella Singleton had three blocks. Offensively, the combination of Bentley Rone, Lily Reed, Sydney Somers, and Ashley Kelley was a perfect mix of finesse and power. Somers provided the power, leading the way with 16 kills. Rone and Kelly were precise with their sets, with both picking up double-digit assists, which also opened the door for Rone to pick up some kills with her unassuming pushovers that continuously put Treynor in a tough spot.

Although the Bulldogs weren’t dominant, nothing was too big for them to handle. They weren’t behind very often, but when they were, it wasn’t for long. The only question mark in the match was the struggles Treynor had with service errors, and with sets of 25-19, 25-21, and 25-22, it could’ve changed the course of a set or two. However, it likely wouldn’t have changed the outcome as Riverisde was the better team.

Riverside is in the midst of its toughest stretch of the season, and head coach Brooke Flathers credited her team’s response to the challenges that have been thrown their way, especially against the second-place team in the conference.

Fenner’s defensive skills continue to be impressive, and this has a lot to do with her efforts in practice.

The pushover ball from Rone not only looked good, but was successful. The success of the play has a lot to do with how good Rone is at distributing, but it is also something the back row looks to set up for her.

With the end of the season in sight, the goal for the Bulldogs remains the focus for this team, and despite their 28-0 record, it doesn’t appear that complacency will be an issue.

The Bulldogs will compete in the CAM tournament on Saturday before beginning the Western Iowa Conference tournament next week.