Season ends for Pride

SHENANDOAH — For the Riverheads volleyball team, the third time was definitely not a charm as the Gladiators fell for the second time in five nights to a suddenly turned-on Page County squad.

Monday’s first-round Shenandoah District Tournament match ended much like the Gladiators’ regular-season finale against the Panthers, ending in four games, 17-25, 26-24, 18-25, 20-25.

“We made more mistakes than they did,” said Riverheads coach Whitney Dove.

After falling way behind before making a too-little-too-late comeback in game one, the Red Pride made a stand in game two.

After battling back-and-forth with the Panthers for each point, the Gladiators scored four straight points on three Page errors and a kill by freshman Katie Coffey.

Page County rallied back to tie the game at 24-all, but sophomore Kacey Hostetler hammered a kill past the Page defense and a hitting error by the Panthers knotted the match at a game apiece.

The Panthers re-established control in the third game, racing out to a 23-13 lead, only to see the determined Gladiators mount another comeback.

Riverheads, behind the accurate serving of Coffey, rolled off five straight points on kills by senior Jessica Glover, junior Kristen Moody and Hostetler and a pair of Page hitting errors to climb back within five points.

But a service mistake and a hitting error allowed the Panthers to squelch the Gladiators’ rally.

The Red Pride looked poised to force a fifth game, taking an early 5-2 advantage before the Panthers rallied back.

The two teams stood even at 15-all before the Panthers gained a slight lead heading down the stretch.

The Gladiators closed to within 22-20 before Page closed out the match with kills by seniors Anissa Price and Niki Zwanzig.

“The second half of the season was a roller-coaster ride for us,” Dove said. “We let too many balls hit the floor tonight.”

Junior Monica Weaver had nine service points and 11 assists for Riverheads, while Coffey had 16 defensive digs and six kills.

Hostetler and senior Brooke Eavers also had six kills apiece, while junior Tiffany Flesher had six blocks at the net. Hostetler also recorded eight service points, while Moody had five blocks and sophomore Kelsie Floyd had 12 assists.

Riverheads finished its season with a 9-12 record.