Season Ends @ West Iredell
18-25, 18-25, 16-25
The Ragin' Bulls went to West Iredell with one goal on their mind; to get thru the 2nd round of the State Tournament. Terrific playing by the entire team, however; wasn't enough to beat the Warriors. Alex Vliet and Kristen Smith combined for 19 kills and had 2 blocks each. When the Bull's offense stalled then the defense stepped up to stop the Warriors quick attacks; Alex Vleit had 9 digs and Megan Yeargin had 8 digs. Hannah Harper and Megan Yeargin controlled the offense with 9 and 13 assists. Leading the team with service points were Kristen Smith with 13 points, Lauren Hill with 10 points and Kaitlyn Shaw with 8 points.
Congratulations on a terrific season! The Ragin' Bulls finished their 2009 season as Conference Champions with a conference record of 12-2 and an overall record of 16-8.
Ragin' Bulls Advance to Second Round
25-12, 25-11, 25-11
Hickory Ridge rebounded after 2 earlier loses this week with an impressive effort to beat Harding University HS in the first round of the State playoffs. The team hit 95% of their attacks with an impressive .481 kill ratio. Alex Vliet led the team with 6 kills on a perfect 9 for 9 attempts, Bethany Laden had 5 kills on a perfect 8 for 8 attempts and Kristen Smith had 4 kills while hitting 6 for 7 attempts. The Ragin' Bulls scored on 92% of their serves with Megan Yeargin taking top honors with 19 points, Hannah Harper with 14 points and Becca Lukasik with 11 points. Alex finished with a match high 8 digs while Megan Yeargin had 13 assists and Hannah Harper had 10 assists.
~~CONGRATULATIONS!~~
ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
Kristen Smith
Alex Vliet
Megan Yeargin
Mount Pleasant Takes the #1 Seed!
23-25, 21-25, 24-26
Hickory Ridge lost for the 2nd time in a row! With the #1 seeding on the line, the Ragin' Bulls could not afford to make mistakes. Unfortunately, the Bulls were playing for the 3rd day in a row with 4 players suffering from flu-like symptoms. The team played valiantly against the Tigers, as each set went down to the final point. This was an opportunity for several players to see more court time and they played great! Lauren Hill came into the third set to serve for 7 straight points and collected 5 digs and Bethany Laden hit 17 for 18 with 5 kills.
Alex Vliet and Megan Yeargin served for 12 points each. Alex was also 21 for 23 in attacks with 8 kills. Kim Tanguay had 3 solo blocks to lead the team. Hannah Harper and Megan Yeargin combined for 22 assists. Defensive digs were collected by Vliet (14), Kristen Smith (9), Hannah Harper (9) and Kaitlyn Shaw (8).
The loss is a setback to the Ragin' Bulls as they are now the #3 seed from the conference and will have to travel to Harding University High School for the first round of the State playoffs. The match is set for Saturday, Oct 24th @ 6 PM.
Semi-final loss to Concord
18-25, 22-25, 20-25
The Ragin' Bulls suffered a loss at the hands of the Concord Spiders in the semi-final match of the SPC tournament. The Bulls needed to advance to the finals of the tournament to secure their #1 seed, but the Spiders came out with an attacking offense that the Bulls could not overcome. Becca Lukasik led the Bulls with 14 service points while Hannah Harper had 13 points and Megan Yeargin had 12 points. Our offensive attacks were limited by the Spiders defense but Alex Vliet was able to hit around them for 10 kills. Kristen Smith and Kim Tanguay provided a defensive punch together with 5 blocks and Kaitlyn Shaw (11 digs), Alex Vliet (11 digs) and Kristen Smith (10 digs) worked the backline defensively.
The Ragin' Bulls are back in action tomorrow with a deciding match against Mount Pleasant to determine the #1 and #3 seeds for the State tournament.
First Round of the Conference Tournament
25-8, 25-8, 25-16
The Ragin' Bulls played Kannapolis in the first round of the SPC tournament. A victory over the Wonders in three sets allowed all the players to see substantial playtime. Serving was very strong for the Bulls as 5 players saw double-digit scoring; Megan Yeargin (13 pts), Hannah Harper (11), Becca Lukasik (11), Lauren Hill (10) and Alex Vliet (10). Alex Vliet led all hitters with 9 kills; Kristen Smith added 5 kills and Bethany Laden 3 kills. Megan Yeargin had 9 assists. Defensively, Hannah Harper had 4 digs while Sydney Hale and Kristen Smith had 3 each.
CO-CHAMPIONS OF THE SPC!
25-16, 29-27, 25-18
The Ragin' Bulls did not let the Bulldogs spoil their Senior Night nor take away their chance to be co-champions of the SPC. Beating Robinson in 3 sets was so much more rewarding since the Bulls knew that a loss would have dropped them to 3rd place for the season.
Hickory Ridge (12-2 conf. & 14-5 overall) finished the season tied with Mount Pleasant for Co-Champions of the SPC.
Highlighting their final match was the hitting power of Alex Vliet (14 kills), Kristen Smith (9 kills), Kim Tanguay (4 kills) and Bethany Laden (3 kills); the defensive coverage from Alex Vleit (16 digs), Kaitlyn Shaw (9 digs) and Kristen Smith (9 digs) and the offensive leadership of Megan Yeargin (24 assists). Becca Lukasik led all scorers with 17 points, Hannah Harper had 15 points and Yeargin 14 points.
Victory!!!
23-25, 25-13, 26-24, 25-18
WOW!!! A terrific match was played by all the Ragin' Bulls! We came ready to play and to get back into first place for the conference. Kim Tanguay had the best match of her career with 6 kills, 4 solo blocks and 4 assisted blocks. Alex Vliet led the hitters with 15 kills, Kristen Smith had 6 kills and Becca Lukasik had 4 kills. We controlled the net with several players getting their share of blocks: Bethany Laden and Alex Vliet had 3 assisted blocks each and Kristen Smith had 3 solo/5 assisted blocks. Megan Yeargin (15 assists) and Hannah Harper (14 assists) ran the offense superbly changing the tempo of the match away from the Spider's quick sets. Defensively, our back row held firm against the power of the Spider attacks. Kristen Smith led with 19 digs, Alex Vliet (12), Kaitlyn Shaw (9), Megan Yeargin (8), Hannah Harper (7), Becca Lukasik (7). Currently the Bulls are 11-2 in conference and 13-5 overall.
Ragin' Bulls Win over AL Brown
25-11, 25-15, 25-12
Kristen Smith led all hitters with 10 kills, 1 solo block and 4 digs. Alex Vleit and Bethany Laden contributed 4 kills each and Megan Yeargin had 10 assists. Vliet served for 11 points/4 aces and Lauren Hill served 9 points/4 aces.
Currently, Hickory Ridge is 10-2 in conference play and 12-5 overall. The Bulls will wrap up the regular season next week with matches at Concord on Tuesday and at home against Robinson on Thursday (senior night).
Hickory Ridge drops non-conference match to Hopewell
21-25, 16-25, 13-25
Hopewell unleashed their power in the form of two 6' hitters who picked apart the Bulls' defense. The Ragin' Bulls found themselves with the daunting task of trying to defend a quick tempo offense and couldn't answer it with their own hitters. Alex Vliet hit 89% with 9 kills and Bethany Laden hit 100% with 4 kills. Kristen Smith (15 digs) and Kaitlyn Shaw (14 digs) scrambled to pick up the Hopewell attacks while Kim Tanguay protected the net with 2 blocks. Leading scorers were Hannah Harper and Kristen Smith with 11 points each. Hickory Ridge is currently 9-2 in conference play and 11-5 overall.
Hickory Ridge gets back to their Winning Ways!
25-23, 25-12, 25-16
The Ragin Bulls defeated Northwest Cabarrus in 3 sets on Tuesday. Team leaders for the Bulls were Alex Vliet with 8 kills, Hannah Harper with 4 kills/8 assists, Kristen Smith with 4 kills/13 digs and Kim Tanguay with 4 solo blocks. Megan Yeargin had 9 assists while Cori Buddenbaum finished with 8 assists. Lauren Hill served for 13 points. The Bulls are currently 9-2 in the SPC (tied for 2nd) and 11-4 overall.
The Bulls fall to Mount Pleasant
15-25, 25-19, 25-27, 25-14, 15-10
A very hard fought match lasting well over 2 hours was finally decided with a referees "no call" on a possible double hit; ending the Bulls hopes to defeat the Tigers and remain in first place. Both teams battled valiantly as the sets were tied 2 a piece going into the 5th set. Alex Vliet powered off 20 kills and had 19 digs, Kristen Smith had 10 kills and 17 digs. Kim Tanguay finished with 5 solo blocks. Megan Yeargin dished out 24 assists/12 digs while Hannah Harper had 11 assists.
Ragin' Bulls overpower Cox Mill
25-21, 25-23, 25-7
The Ragin' Bulls defeat Cox Mill in 3 sets (8-1 SPC, 10-3 overall). Kaitlyn Shaw played her personal best and led the Bulls with 7 digs and served 13 in a row for a total of 14 points. Becca Lukasik served 13 points. Leading the team in kills were Alex Vliet (w/10) and Bethany Laden (w/9). Megan Yeargin ran a very effective offense with 16 assists.
Hickory Ridge defeats Central Cabarrus
25-8, 24-26, 25-10, 25-7
Hickory Ridge proved to be too much for the Vikings as the Ragin Bulls held them twice to single digits in their victory
(7-1 SPC, 9-3 overall). Every player was able to get their job done as the Bulls tallied 42 kills and 34 digs in the 4-set match. Team leaders for kills were Alex Vliet (16), Kristen Smith (7), Lauren Hill (4) and Emily Leathers (4). Top servers were Smith (23 points), Hannah Harper (17) and Vliet (13). The Bulls were able to run their offense thru 3 different setters: Harper (w/14 assists), Megan Yeargin (12) and Cori Buddenbaum (8).
The Ragin' Bulls are currently tied for first place with Mount Pleasant.
Bulls suffer loss against Robinson
18-25, 21-25, 25-19, 19-25
Despite playing a terrific match against the Bulldogs, Hickory Ridge (6-1; 8-3) suffered their first conference loss to Robinson. The Ragin' Bulls took the Bulldogs to 4 sets behind the offensive punch of Alex Vliet who had 20 kills and 13 digs. Kristen Smith added 9 kills and led the team with 19 digs. Hannah Harper served for 23 points along with Becca Lukasik who had 14 points and 14 digs. Megan Yeargin led the team with 18 assists.
Victory over Concord! Bulls currently in first place
25-19, 23-25, 21-25, 25-13, 15-12
The Ragin' Bulls pulled out a 5 set victory over the Concord Spiders to remain on top of the Southern Piedmont Conference (6-0, 8-2). Hickory Ridge relied heavliy on their offensive attacks by Bethany Laden (6 kills), Kristen Smith (4 kills) and Alex Vliet (14 kills). Vliet also protected the net with 6 solo blocks. Hannah Harper had13 assists and Megan Yeargin had 14 assists and 11 digs. The backline defense of Vliet and Smith collected 35 digs from the Spider attacks. Lauren Hill served for 25 points and Smith had 22 points.
Hickory Ridge defeats Kannapolis
25-13, 25-12, 25-11
The Ragin' Bulls continued to their winning ways in the new Southern Piedmont Conference (5-0, 7-2 overall) as they defeated Kannapolis in 3 straight sets. Megan Yeargin served 17 points (8 aces) and dished out 10 assists for the Bulls while Alex Vliet (6 kills), Becca Lukasik (5 kills) and Kristen Smith (4 kills) led the offensive attack. Defensively, 10 different Hickory Ridge players were able to pick up the Kannapolis attacks with Stacy Almond and Megan Yeargin having 3 digs each.
Hickory Ridge Sweeps Northwest in Three
The Ragin' Bulls defeated the Trojans 25-18, 25-20, 25-20. Alex Vliet led the team with 11 kills, 2 solo blocks and 7 digs. Megan Yeargin and Cori Buddenbaum combined for 20 assists that allowed Hickory Ridge to hit 59 of 76 attacks with 28 kills. Kristen Smith led all scorers with 18 points.
Cougars stop the Ragin' Bulls in Four Sets
15-25, 14-25, 25-23, 19-25
The Bulls struggled against JC Carson in a 4 set match. Down 2 sets to none, the Bulls were able to put together an offensive attack to win set # 3, but then went down fighting in set #4. Alex Vliet had 18 kills, 3 solo blocks/3 assisted blocks & 14 points. Emily Leathers was able to come into the game and gather 4 kills and 1 assisted block. Megan Yeargin directed the offense with 13 assists, 11 digs and 10 points, while Hannah Harper contributed 8 assists, 7 digs and 13 points.
Hickory Ridge Outlasts Tigers
23-25, 25,16, 25-20, 30-28
The Bulls defeated Mount Pleasant for the first time in their 3 year existence. The team recorded a team single match record of 47 digs, led by Kristen Smith, Kaitlyn Shaw and Bethany Laden. Kim Tanguay had 3 solo blocks and 4 assisted blocks. Six players served in double figures with Hannah Harper and Alex Vliet taking honors with 19 points each. Vliet hit 38 out of 39 attempts and had 15 kills while the team scattered 42 kills. Harper had 15 assists while Megan Yeargin recorded her 2nd triple double of the season with 24 assists, 13 digs and 17 points.
Ragin' Bulls take the Chargers
25-17, 25-14, 25-15
There was no stopping the Ragin' Bulls on Tuesday as they easily handled Cox Mill in 3 sets. Alex Vliet hit 18 for 20 attacks and powered 10 kills while Kristen Smith was a perfect 12 for 12 and 7 kills. Freshman Bethany Laden got back on her attacking mode with 5 kills. Terrific serving by Smith (20 pts), Vliet (16 pts) and Megan Yeargin (14 pts) allowed the Bulls to never give up a lead. The team aced the Chargers 16 times. Megan Yeargin got her first triple-double of the season with 14 points, 13 assists and 11 digs.
Hickory Ridge Overpowers Central
25-12, 25-19, 25-23
Hickory Ridge defeated the Vikings in 3 straight sets. Alex Vliet went 19 for 22 in attacks; recording 12 kills and Kristen Smith hit 8 for 11 with 3 kills. Ten of the 15 players recorded a kill as the team totaled 24 kills for the match. Megan Yeargin led the offense with 9 assists and Hannah Harper had 7 assists. The Bulls had 31 defensive digs; leaders were Kristen Smith (6), Kaitlyn Shaw (5), Alex Vliet (5) and Megan Yeargin (5). Kristen Smith served 15 for 15 (18 points) and Megan Yeargin served 13 for 13 (13 points).
Defeated by the Mavericks
22-25, 18-25, 12-25
The Bulls were stopped in their tracks by the strong hitters from Marvin Ridge. The Bulls successfully blocked their hitters 10 times but that wasn't enough. Alex Vliet managed to get 11 kills along with 9 defensive digs, while Megan Yeargin led all servers with 10 points and dished out 10 assists.
Bulls Win their Second Match!
26-24, 25-14, 25-13
The Ragin' Bulls continued their winning ways by defeating Porter Ridge 3-0. The Bulls fell behind 12-23 in the first set but with the consistent serving of Alex Vliet (12 straight serves) they pulled out the first set 26-24. Vliet served for 19 points in the match while freshman, Bethany Laden, added 18 points. Alex Vliet had 10 kills & 4 blocks and Laden had 5 kills & 6 blocks. Megan Yeargin contributed 6 assists while Hannah Harper had 5 assists and 5 digs.
Hickory Ridge wins their Opener against East Rowan
25-22, 25-18, 23-25, 22-25, 15-6
The Ragin' Bulls got off to a great start for their 2009 season as they defeated East Rowan on Tues, Aug 18th in a 5-set match. The Bulls were able to scatter 129 attacks with freshman, Bethany Laden, connecting with 12 kills, Kristen Smith and Alex Vliet had 10 kills each. Hickory Ridge was led in points by Alex Vliet (22 points) and Megan Yeargin (19 points) while the team averaged an 89% serving percentage. Defensively, Alex Vliet had 3 solo blocks & 15 digs and Kaitlyn Shaw had 13 digs. Orchestrating the offensive attack was Megan Yeargin with 17 assists and Hannah Harper with 13 assists.
