Lady Broncos volleyball at Spikefest Tournament

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos Volleyball team took a break from their regular season schedule to compete in the Spikefest Tournament in Rosalia, Sept. 16.

In pool play, the Lady Broncos split all of their matches, 1-1, against Saint George’s, Colton, Garfield-Palouse and Liberty. Head Coach Cari Galbreath said teams only played two-set matches against each other during pool play.

Although she was missing two players from the varsity lineup, Galbreath said the tournament was a good experience for the Lady Broncos. She said the team came out strong against Saint George’s, then played a slower-paced match against Garfield-Palouse.

Galbreath said the team’s first match against Liberty was energetic as was their contest against Colton. According to Galbreath, one of the challenges for the Lady Broncos is playing consistently for an entire match.

LRS was eliminated from the tournament after their loss to Liberty, 23-25, 25-22 and 15-9. After the Lady Broncos won the first set, Liberty came back to win the next two.

Galbreath said every set between LRS and Liberty was competitive and “very exciting,” however, the team’s offensive execution was inconsistent in the second and third sets.

The Lady Broncos return to Gilson Gym for their league opener against Tekoa-Rosalia on Sept. 21, then play Kittitas in a non-league match at home on Sept. 23.

Tekoa-Rosalia comes into the match on a four-game losing streak while Kittitas opened their season with a 3-0 sweep against Cashmere on Sept. 12.

After resting from the tournament, Galbreath said the Lady Broncos will use practice to work on the flow of their game, as well as focus on their strengths.