Members of the volleyball team celebrate a point during a fall 2025 match. Photo by Simon Transue
Riverside beat Hillside at home on Thursday and improved to 6-3.
The first set began with points flipping in favor of both teams until Riverside broke through about a third of the way through the first set, and rode their momentum to a 25-14 win.
The second set was nearly identical to the first. The Pirates broke out yet again thanks to cooperation between everyone on the team, with few noticeable mistakes, the Pirates took the second set 25-12.
Riverside looked to be cruising toward a sweep. However, Hillside took an early lead during the third set. For a while the game went back and forth, with no real advantage for either team, until eventually the game eventually swapped momentum in favor of Riverside.
“There wasn’t a specific moment,”said junior Grace Hochstetler. “It was just a lot of small moments that built momentum in our favor.”
Despite the final set being closer than the rest, the 25-19 capped off a dominating sweep.
According to Maxpreps, the team is very balanced offensively. Defensively, junior Nureem Khan leads the team with 140 total digs and 61 receptions.
The Pirates were very spirited, giving high fives and smiling all through their sets.
“We are really close, on and off the court,” said Hochstetler. “It helps our play. I’ve played for teams where we don’t get along, and they haven’t done as well as we have.”
The Pirates next play DSA tonight at 6:15.
