Lady Broncos begin season with two nonleague wins, Bronco Invite

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos volleyball team opened their season with a 3-1 win against Columbia-Burbank on Sept. 5, followed by a 3-0 sweep against Davenport.

The Lady Broncos also went 2-1 in the annual Bronco Invite on Sept 9, with a loss to Saint George’s and wins against Odessa and Selkirk.

Head Coach Cari Galbreath felt the team’s campaign is off to a good start, and the players showed maturity and steadiness on the court in their first week of competition.

At home, the Lady Broncos won a tough match against Columbia-Burbank, 25-20, 25-22, 20-25 and 25-18. After winning the first two sets, Columbia-Burbank won the third to prevent a sweep.

LRS managed to rebound and take the fourth set to secure the win. Galbreath said the players had confidence going into the contest with Columbia-Burbank and felt the team controlled most of the match.

Lacey Miller led the match with 20 assists while Peyton Curtis racked up eight kills and Emma Aldrich had three aces. On defense, Kierstin Witt had 10 digs while Eliza Galbreath recorded three blocks.

LRS carried their momentum into the next match where they defeated Davenport in three sets, 25-18, 25-13 and 25-15.

Galbreath noted the Lady Gorillas were a tough opponent in the past. For this match, Galbreath said the team had to adjust to Davenport’s pace and style of play.

Miller continued to shine in her role as setter, notching 27 assists. Curtis recorded five kills while Tessa O’Brien led the match with four aces and 13 digs, and Eliza Galbreath notched another block.

Galbreath said the Bronco Invite was a good opportunity for the athletes to experience specific situations they will face during the season.

LRS opened the Bronco Invite with a win against Odessa 25-22 and 25-15. Galbreath noted the team started slow and were able to bring up their energy to control most of the match.

Later in the afternoon, the Lady Broncos lost a nail-biter of a match to Saint George’s 26-24, 22-25 and 15-13. After losing a close first set, the Lady Broncos came back to take the second set before they lost the third.

Galbreath said the Lady Dragons gave the team a great match and the players realized they needed to clean up some aspects of their game.

However, Galbreath noted the team was aggressive during the entire match, even when they were down 6-0 in the third set.

The Lady Broncos rebounded from the loss to defeat Selkirk in two sets, 25-23 and 25-18. Galbreath expected the match to be closer as Selkirk defeated Saint George’s earlier in the day.

She said the team was playing “a cleaner match” and made fewer errors than in their contest against the Lady Dragons.

The Lady Broncos, who are 2-0, take a break from their regular season schedule and will travel to Rosalia to compete in the Spikefest Tournament on Sept. 16.

While she wished the team had a regular match during the week, Galbreath said this week’s practice is a good time for the players to break down clean up more aspects of their game.