The Roberts Wesleyan College Volleyball team bounced back after a tough loss against Le Moyne with back to back wins against Houghton College and Daemen College. The Raiders beat Houghton on Thursday night at Houghton, 25-21, 24-26, 25-22, 25-22. Saturday, Roberts traveled to Daemen and took down the host Wildcats 25-17, 19-25, 25-14, 25-21. Roberts improves their overall record to 13-3.
At Houghton, the Raiders rallied from deficits of 3-11 and 8-15 to find set victories. Several students made the trip as Vice President Barry Smith drove a college van full of fans to support the team. Corey Phillips (Reno, NV) and Alexa Antoni (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) each tallied 17 kills on the night. Lisa Bierdeman (Albion, NY) added 25 assists, and Katie Maher (Baldwinsville, NY) chipped in 24 digs.
On Saturday, the Raiders traveled west to Buffalo to face Daemen, another conference opponent. Roberts came out strong, grabbing an early 8-2 lead in the first set. Extending that lead to 20-12 allowed the Raiders to side out to victory. In the second set, Daemen found their groove. Roberts made several small comebacks, but couldn't find what was needed to challenge the Wildcats. Set three was all Raiders. Another big lead was set as a result of solid defense and timely hitting. After falling behind in the fourth set 4-9, Roberts fought back to tie up the match at 16-16. Behind consistent serving and improved ball control, the Raiders held off Daemen, grabbing the match victory.
Alexa Antoni and Corey Phillips led the attack again for the Raiders, posting 15 and 20 kills, respectively. Mandie Bartz (Attica, NY) and Stacey Tiffin (Sherrill, NY) combined for 7 blocks. Rachel Herrock (Claremont, CA) kept Roberts in the match with her 22 digs and 14 assists.
The Raiders begin AMC play on Friday night as they travel to Notre Dame College (Ohio). The road trip also includes stops at Malone University and Walsh University on Saturday.
