By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE — Riverside clinched at least a split of the District 4-IV championship this week with a pair of district victories over Donaldsonville and St. James.

The Rebels finished district play with a record of 7-1. Prospective co-champion Curtis has one more game next week; with a record of 6-1, a Patriots’ win over Donaldsonville would clinch a tie in first place.

“We weren’t picked to finish as high, so you definitely have to be happy,” said Riverside coach Briget Melancon. “Of course, we’d like to have won outright, but it’s a good accomplishment. We faced some tough teams in district and I came out of it feeling like our girls played their game all the way through.”

Riverside’s latest win came Thursday, a 25-12, 25-15, 25-10 win over Donaldsonville.

Toni Hebert had 11 assists, six kills and six aces for RA (16-17). Katie Bailey also had six aces. Dani Hebert had 10 assists. Danielle Sharp had seven kills and two blocks. Shelby Deslatte had 23 digs.

Wednesday saw a break from district action for the Rebels, but pitted them against a stout opponent in Ursuline. Ursuline defeated Riverside in three, 25-8, 25-9 and 25-11.

Deslatte had 24 digs. Sharp had 10 kills and two blocks.

“Even with the loss, it was good to see that level of competition right before the playoffs,” said Melancon. “I don’t feel like we played up to our potential, honestly. We knew it would be a tough game, but we didn’t really play our style.”

Against St. James Tuesday, it was another win in three for Riverside, a 25-15, 25-12 and 27-25 victory.

Sharp had 12 kills and four blocks. Deslatte had 26 digs. Hebert had 18 assists and six aces. Kelsi Roussel had three aces and Taylor Terrio had 10 assists.

“I thought the girls did a good job taking care of business early in district play this year,” said Melancon, noting Riverside’s 5-0 start in district play before an eventual loss to Curtis. “We were able to qualify strictly based on district performance.

“We played a tough schedule outside of district and that made us a better team, one more prepared to handle what we’re about to see in the playoffs.”

Riverside did lose a key starter and played without another at times this week as middle blocker Erica Delaneuville suffered a sprained ankle and setter Taylor Terrio missed some action.

In Delaneuville’s case, the injury could linger into the postseason, though Melancon said that she hopes to see her back in action soon.

“It’s tough because Erica has really been coming into her own this year,” said Melancon. “We want to have her back. But we’ve been dealing with injuries all year. We adapt. It’s important that our players know that even if we’re down a player or two, we’re still who we are as a team. People have stepped up all year long for us, so we know what needs to happen.”