BISMARCK — Even though the Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin volleyball team lost to St. Joseph-Ogden on Thursday, the Blue Devils gave the Spartans something to think about.
BHRA rallied to extend the second set before SJO were able to win and end the match with a 25-12, 29-27 victory.
“I think the last 8-10 points we showed a lot tenacity and that we can persevere in not ideal situations when we are down by a lot,” BHRA head coach Anna Showers said. “I think the girls showed how hard they are going to push and play. I think tonight it took a while to get the girls’ engine up and revving and it cost us the first set. When you dig a hole, it is tough to get out of.”
In the second set, serving from Macy Danner and the play of hitters Ella and Reis McFarland was the key to get into the match and the would even get a 15-14 lead at one point.
“They are our power hitters and they also play club volleyball and they know a lot of girls in the area and everyone knows them,” Showers said about the McFarlands. “They do well together and feed off each other and you can see it when they get excited for each other after a point. they are so passionate about the game and they try to bring the team up and it shows.
“Macy is a good power server. We are looking at her consistency and it is good. She’s pretty reliable as far as that goes and we can count on her when she goes back to there to get them over and be hard, well-placed serves.”
Reis McFarland had nine kills and nine blocks for the Blue Devils, while Ella McFarland has seven hills, five blocks and 10 assists.
Showers said that if the Blue Devils showed up earlier, the match would have went to a third set.
“Had we got that engine going in the first set and won the second set, I think we would have won the third set,” Showers said. “It is such a game of momentum and to make sure it goes your way. I think we struggled with that tonight because we were playing at St. Joe’s speed We should be creating our momentum and create our speed and I don’t think it happened tonight.”
The Blue Devils drop to 1-1, but Showers knows that this is just a start to what could be a good season for the team.
“With the McFarland girls and Macy, people are pretty familiar with their skills,” Showers said. “Reis was a freshman that started for us last season and Ella has been a varsity starter for three years and Macy is a junior and has been a starter all three years, so people know them and tend to either fear them or focus on weakness around them, but we are strong. We have a real good group of girls that play well together.”
BHRA will return to action on Tuesday against Danville.