Volley Raiders etch themselves in school history

Mya Moss was named
First Team All-
Region

There were tears flowing following the Volley Raiders first match of the second round of the region tournament on Saturday. There were tears, but those tears were not those from seven seniors who ended a career; they were tears of joy. The Madison County Volley Raiders, led by first year coach Steve Crouse, made their mark in school history as the first volleyball team to reach the state tournament. Madison County defeated Eastside on Thursday to advance to Saturday’s round needing just one win to earn a state playoff birth. They got the win they needed by bouncing Lumpkin County 2-0 (30-28, 25-21) in the first match of the day. The Raiders eventually lost to Lanier 0-2, but the day was still a success as the girls from Madison County came away all smiles. Junior Mya Moss was named to the First Team All-Region when the day started.

The Volley Raiders put together what was perhaps their best performance this season in the win over Lumpkin County. Nothing good ever comes easy however, as the two teams battled to eight different ties in a set that went to 30 points instead of the usual 25 point set. The requirement to win by two caused the extended play but the Raiders prevailed as Paige Criddle knocked down two point serves that broke a 28-28 tie for the set one win. Following back to back point serves from freshman Sam Watson, the Raiders bolted to a 15-11 lead. Madison County later pulled out to a 20-16 lead but Lumpkin County fought back to tie the set four times midway through.

The Volley Raiders opened the second set with an 8-2 lead following three point serves by Watson. Madison County later extended their lead to 10-3, but Lumpkin County reached back and pulled off a scoring run to battle back and tied the set score at 12-12. The two teams again battled back and forth and exchanging points until Criddle broke the final tie this time with four straight point serves to win the set.

The Raiders then bowed out of the Region Tournament after losing two Lanier 0-2 (24-25, 17-25) but will now set their sights on state tournament play which will open Wednesday. The location and opponent has yet to be determined.