Red Level downs Highland Home in straight sets

Published 4:15 pm Thursday, September 28, 2023

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Red Level rallied from an early deficit and picked up a 3-0 sweep over Highland Home in a varsity volleyball match on Tuesday, Sept. 26.

The Lady Tigers improved to 7-8 for the year with a 27-25, 25-21, 25-14 win. The Lady Flying Squadron fell to 4-8 on the season.

“We had a rough night in Elba Monday night but came back more focused and played better as a team. I’m extremely proud of my girls because they stepped up and played really big tonight. They showed a lot of resiliency and character after getting down in the first set. We are slowly and surely building a program around here and are not there yet but will be in the near future,” RLS Head Coach Eric Schwartz said.

SET ONE
Highland Home took an early 3-0 lead in the opening set before back-to-back kills from Victoria Walker and Bailey Green cut the deficit to 3-2. Marleigh Burkett widened the margin to 7-3 with an ace. Green followed suit at the 9-7 point, but Jaiden Tidwell pushed the lead to 13-8 with a kill. Kennedy Lord brought the score to 14-9 with a kill, and Red Level took its first lead after an 8-2 run. Walker tied the frame at 16-16 with a kill before an attack error. The Lady Flying Squadron reclaimed a 23-18 lead after three aces by Burkett during a 7-1 surge. Green evened the score at 23-23, and the Lady Tigers took set one in extras for a 1-0 lead.

SET TWO
The second set began much like the first when Tidwell scored an ace for a 3-1 advantage. The visitors took advantage of a few mistakes by the hosts and padded their lead to 10-4. Lord delivered a pivotal kill as Red Level roared back for a 13-12 lead. Alyssa Lee had a kill for a 15-14 cushion before Lord made the score 18-14 with an ace. Jiya Shepherd brought Highland Home within two at 19-17. Tidwell executed two kills for the Lady Flying Squadron and kept the frame alive at 24-20, but the Lady Tigers held on for a 2-0 lead.

SET THREE
Kayden Lord had a pair of aces, and Walker earned a kill for an early 7-0 lead in the third set. Tidwell closed the gap to 7-4 before the Lady Tigers took control. Green scored a kill for an 11-4 lead as Lambert repeated the feat for a 14-5 margin. Walker notched an ace and took the cushion to double digits at the 15-5 point. The Lady Flying Squadron were not denied and managed to get within five at 18-13. Lambert had an ace for a 23-13 advantage, and Kennedy Lord made it match point with a kill. Kayden Lord capped the sweep with an ace.

Red Level returns to the court on Monday, Oct. 3, in a home match against Greenville.