Broncos serve up a shutout victory at home

RITZVILLE — The Lind-Ritzville Broncos (11-1) swept the Odessa Tigers on Monday in the first three sets to win 3-0. Head coach Cari Galbreath said her team executed well.   

“I think it was a nice, clean win for us. We just took care of the ball and didn't try to do anything too special,” Galbreath said.   

The Broncos opened their first set with a strong offensive attack. Jayda Lobe led the Broncos on a run of serves that resulted in scores. They came out fast and put Odessa in a hole early. The Broncos won the first set 25-12.   

In their second set, the Broncos carried their momentum and continued to score off serves. The Tigers could not capture any momentum, especially with LR freshman Zoe Mendez making her presence known at the net. She scored for the Broncos several times off of sets by her teammates.   

“She's just very dominant, she's just a huge gain for us this season, and I'm excited for the next four seasons with her, but she makes a positive impact on our game all the way around,” Galbreath said.   

The Broncos won their second set 25-10, increasing their lead to 2-0. In the third set, they jumped out to an 8-0 lead and only let up six scores by the Tigers. They quickly secured the third set 25-6 and won the overall game 3-0 for their 11th win of the season.   

Another standout player for the Broncos was senior Hannah Towne, who has been a vocal leader this season. Galbreath pointed to the positive energy that Towne brings to the court. Throughout the game, Towne called out plays to her teammates and was the first to run up to them after a score.   

“Hannah's such a great leader out there. I think her energy is always team-oriented, and she is such a coachable player; she's gotten confident in situations and reading situations and being effective, and it's just so fun to watch her succeed,” Galbreath said.   

Despite the imposing victory, Galbreath said she still sees areas for improvement. However, the Broncos managed their pace and continued to play their style against Odessa.   

“There are things we need to continue to fine-tune, but I'm just happy the pace of the game, (it) was slower than we're used to, and I'm just happy we didn't drop our pace; it's hard to keep playing our pace when you're playing a slower pace team,” she said.   

With an 11-1 season record, the Broncos have five more games left on their schedule. Galbreath said it will be important for her players to continue taking their season one game at a time.   

“I think we don't let ourselves get ahead of it; we just keep focusing on our goals and take it night by night and just focus on what we need to do and keep improving in practice on fine-tuning certain things,” she said.   

BOX SCORE:   

LRSB: 25-25-25: 3
ODSA: 12-10-6: 0 

    The Broncos celebrate together after scoring a point against Odessa on Monday. Head Coach Cari Galbreath said she was happy with how her team played a clean game.
  

    Broncos freshman Zoe Mendez (5) waits for Odessa’s next serve in their game on Monday. Head Coach Cari Galbreath said Mendez is very dominant and it excites her that she still has three more seasons with the Broncos.
  

    Allesandra Mendez (11) drops to bump the ball back up after an Odessa serve on Monday. Head Coach Cari Galbreath said the team maintained their fast-paced style of play against the Tigers on Monday.
  

    The Broncos’ Jayda Lobe (10) prepares for Odessa’s next serve in their game on Monday. Lobe’s serves led to several scores for the Broncos.
  

    Hannah Towne (24) leaps in the air to spike the ball against Odessa on Monday. Head Coach Cari Galbreath said Towne brings a lot of positive energy to the Broncos.