Broncos hit 10-2 record with win over Davenport

RITZVILLE – The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague/Washtucna/Harrington volleyball team improved to 10-2 on the year with a 3-1 win over the Davenport Gorillas Tuesday night.

The Broncos scored on 10 consecutive serves by senior Taylor Galbreath to take a sizeable lead in the fourth set en route to the team’s 3-1 win over the visiting Gorillas.

“Having a big momentum run like that is huge,” Galbreath said. “It isn’t just me, I didn’t ace every point, obviously. It took our team to keep fighting every time and not letting the ball hit the ground.”

The team came into Tuesday’s match riding a four-game win streak, with their last loss coming on Oct. 3 on the road to Upper Columbia Academy. With a league record of 5-1, the Broncos continue to push toward the top spot in the Northeast 2B league.

“I think we are just a pretty well-rounded team,” Broncos head coach Cari Galbreath said. “I think we’re able to have a balanced act out there. We’re not so one-dimensional, we spread it around and everybody contributes. That’s very advantageous for a team in our league.”

The first set saw both teams battle back and forth, but the Broncos were able to pull away after being tied at 13 to win the first set 25-17.

“We kind of shut down in the beginning of the set; we didn’t have as much energy,” Taylor Galbreath said. “But we were gradually able to come back because we all worked together.”

The Broncos were able to jump out to an early 4-0 lead in the second set, with Davenport once again fighting back. The once seven-point lead was shortened to three points with the Broncos up 21-18. However, a momentum-shifting block by freshman Saige Galbreath pushed the Broncos to a Set 2 win, winning 25-19.

Cari Galbreath said that Saige Galbreath has “turned it on” when it comes to blocks over the previous two games.

“She had some good blocks, early on too,” Cari Galbreath said. “Blocking builds your momentum, big time. It gives your team energy.”

After an ace by Bronco junior Megan Melcher to begin Set 3, the Gorillas were able to capture the momentum and take an eventual 15-7 lead.

“Instead of rising about, they just kind of stayed complacent,” Cari Galbreath said. “Complacency will kill you.”

With Davenport up 24-16, the Broncos were able to go on a scoring streak of nine points before the Gorillas finally took the set 25-23.

“We fought there at the end, and we had a great serving run which helped,” Cari Galbreath said. “That is always nice, getting that little run going into the next set.”

After being tied at eight in the fourth set, the Broncos went on their 10-point streak led by Taylor Galbreath to take an 18-8 lead. A brief Davenport rally was halted by sophomore Caire Wellsandt on a tip over the net, and Lind-Ritzville/Sprague/Washtucna/Harrington recaptured momentum on its way to a 25-12 win in Set 4 for a 3-1 match win.

“(The win) can definitely give us a lot of momentum to keep going forward, but also to stay unified,” Taylor Galbreath said. “We know we can accomplish a lot together, if we keep that going we can keep getting better, not stay where we’re at.”

Both the Broncos and Gorillas were wearing pink uniforms for the home team’s Dig Pink Night, with energetic fans in the stands wearing pink shirts as well.

“The crowd is very helpful,” Cari Galbreath said. “Especially with the Dig Pink Night, we got some good, positive energy.”

The Broncos return to the court on Saturday against Kettle Falls before a road matchup against league-leading Colfax on Tuesday.

“We’re gonna go and battle, and hope for the best,” Cari Galbreath said. “They’re not just gonna roll over for us, they’re going to fight every point. And I think we have the clientele to fight as well.” Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.