Eagles earn fourth volleyball win against Hillsboro

Coach Scott Walker’s Hood River team (4-12 overall, 4-11 league) was scheduled to complete its season with an Oct. 25 home match against La Salle Prep (18-4, 13-2).

Hood River took the first two sets against visiting Hillsboro in comfortable fashion this past week. But the Spartans made things interesting in the third. Hillsboro took a 9-2 lead during Aspen Radke’s service run and was ahead 11-3 after an ace prompted Walker to call his second timeout of the set.

Hood River scored 14 of the next 19 points prompting a Hillsboro timeout, with the Eagles in front, 17-16. The Spartans were hurt by four service errors during the HRV comeback.

Hood River held its biggest lead of the set, 22-18, when the Spartans used another timeout. It didn’t matter, as when play resumed, senior Megan Griggs powered an ace untouched down the middle. Hood River served for the match at 24-20 but couldn’t covert. Hillsboro scored five points in a row and soon was serving for set point. An errant HRV dig was tapped down by a Hillsboro player at the net, but it was ruled the ball had not cleared the net and HRV still had two touches available.

Instead of a 26-24 Hillsboro win, a net violation was called, and the serve went back to HRV with the set tied, 25-25. Senior Jacy Johnston served and after a couple of volleys, her spike wasn’t returned by the Spartans. The next rally ended when a Hillsboro return went inches over the end line, giving HRV a 27-25 set and match win.

Hillsboro turn the tables on the visiting Eagles on Oct. 21, winning 25-17, 20-25, 25-20, 25-18. Hood River, down 1-0, came alive in the second set to take the lead midway through. A Ryann Rosselle block gave the Eagles the serve and a point at 23-20. Her serve down the right side was misplayed by Hillsboro, forcing a Spartan timeout trailing, 24-20. When play resumed, Rosselle delivered an ace down the center of the court evening the match, 1-1.

Hood River trailed early in the third set, before Griggs went on a serving run. She had three aces in a span which saw the Eagles go from an 8-2 deficit to a 10-8 lead. Hillsboro regained its composure, and the teams went back and forth en route to a 16-16 tie. A redo after an 80-second discussion by the officials took a point away from HRV and led to a 4-0 Spartan scoring run.

Hood River regained serve on Griggs’ dink at the net which stopped the Spartan spurt at 20-16. HRV scored four of the next six points to pull within 22-20, but that’s as close as the Eagles would get, as Hillsboro won, 25-20. The fourth set was a 25-18 win by the home team.