Riverheads sweeps Wilson

GREENVILLE – Riverheads beat Wilson Memorial in three games 25-21, 25-23, 25-13 on Thursday, thanks in part to Kasey Hostetler’s unusual jump serve from the corner that appeared in the final game.

The first two games were battles right up until the very end for both the Gladiators and the Hornets.

Though Riverheads kept the lead throughout most of the first game, the second game proved that Wilson wasn’t going to take a beating lying down. Every time the Gladiators got one over on the Hornets, the Hornets came back to tie the score.

Eventually Wilson took the lead at 23-20, but a kill from Riverheads’ Kayla Baugh, a tip from Tiffany Flesher and an ace from Taylor Blackwell-Kershner put the score back at a tie, 23-23. The Gladiators then finished off the Hornets with back-to-back kills from Flesher.

“Wilson lost a lot of people,” said Riverheads coach Whitney Dove. “But they still have a good team.”

Riverheads came out in Game 3 with its swords blazing, ready to end the match once and for all. The teams went back-and-forth up until Riverheads tied the score at 13 off a kill from Kristen Moody, sending Hostetler to the service line.

Another kill from Moody put the Gladiators up by one and Wilson’s two faults put the score at 16-13. A dual block from Flesher and Baugh gave the Gladiators yet another point.

“The girls played great as a team,” Dove said. “They stepped up and stayed up.”

After two more faults from Wilson and a kill from Riverheads’ Kelley Tuennermann, Hostetler let her magic serve loose on the unsuspecting Hornets.

“We’re always telling her in practice to do ‘the Kasey serve,’ ” Dove said. “It’s the first time she’s done it in a game.”

Hostetler’s three aces in a row left the Hornets with their jaws on the floor.

“Most of the time I just forget about doing it,” Hostetler said. “We were ahead so I thought, ‘why not?’ ”

Wilson almost answered Hostetler’s serve, but the return went wide, putting the score at 23-13.

“I was thinking, ‘let’s just take it as a team and make it a good game,’ ” Hostetler said.

Back-to-back aces from Hostetler then finished it for the Gladiators, the first time in a long time that Riverheads was able to compete with Wilson in volleyball.

Hostetler ended the match with 13 total service points and five aces, Blackwell-Kershner followed with 10 service points and 16 digs while Flesher and Baugh both added two blocks and Flesher also added seven kills.

Riverheads also won in JV action, beating Wilson 25-15, 25-8 with Nicole Alanko leading the way with 17 service points.

The Hornets face Fort Defiance on Tuesday, but Gladiators don’t play again until the Sept. 21 against Parry McCluer.