By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

Before the season ever started, Riverside knew that in order to win its district for the third straight season, it would almost certainly have to beat John Curtis twice.

That hasn’t necessarily changed. But as of Tuesday, the Patriots have the Rebels on the ropes.

Curtis won in three games at Riverside, 25-20, 25-22, 25-19, handing the Rebels their first district loss since 2005.

Ashley Henderson led the way for the Patriots with 18 kills and five aces. Lindsay Scallon had 41 assists and Alison Grabert notched 11 digs.

It was the first district game for Curtis (18-8, 1-0), and the second for Riverside (19-9, 1-1).

The teams are slated for a rematch Oct. 30 at Curtis – if each team wins its district games leading up to it, the Rebels would need to beat the Patriots to force a playoff, and a chance to defend their district title.

But that’s a long way away, says Rebels Coach Mandy Luminais. Right now, she simply wants to see her team back on the right track.

“There was a lack of togetherness today,” Luminais said. “There were too many different things going on. We can’t just rely on four people. Everyone needs to be involved.

“There was a lot of pressure to win this one. But we need to play smart, to hit open spots. We can’t do things like miss our serves and expect to win.”

Heidi Garcich led Riverside with 14 kills and 23 digs. Kaitlyn Millet had 11 assists.

Curtis quickly got out to a lead in the first game, and was ahead 18-11 when the Rebels called a time out to regroup.

And regroup they did – Riverside scored four straight points, before Curtis answered with kills by Henderson and Scallan. But with Curtis leading 20-16, the Patriots hit a kill too long and were called for lifting to cut it to a two-point lead. Curtis scored again, but a Patriots kill into the net and an ace by Garcich kicked off a run of four points that tied the game at 22.

But Curtis responded. Lacey Huxen made kills on two of the final three Curtis points as JCC clinched the first win.

The Rebels were undeterred at first – the comeback seemed to fire them up, and the momentum carried into the second game. Curtis got out to a 6-3 lead, but a Garcich kill launched a 9-0 Riverside run that put the Rebels ahead 12-6.

Riverside would lead 16-9, but Curtis clawed back into it. Millet’s serve went long for the Rebels, and Curtis would score the next four points to cut the RA lead to 16-13. Shelby Deslatte popped a ball over the net to put Riverside ahead 17-13. But Curtis tied the game after a run of four straight points, started when Grabert slammed a kill home.

Garcich put Riverside ahead again with a kill off of a Curtis defender, and a Patriot return out of bounds made it 19-17. The teams would trade points until another Rebel serve went long, tying the game at 21. Huxen and Grabert each dropped in scoring hits, and Curtis wouldn’t trail again. The Patriots clinched the win when Shaney Borne’s final kill attempt of the game went long.

Just as much as the Rebels near comeback energized Riverside entering the second game, the Patriot comeback seemed to deflate the Rebels in the third. Curtis scored the first eight points of the game, and would lead 20-11 before a late Rebel rally cut the lead to five. But Riverside would never get closer.

“We felt like they were chipping away late,” said Patriots Coach Dawn Curtis. “I told the team, ‘Do not stop until you hear the whistle.’ (Riverside is) a scrappy team. They’re moving all over the place. They’ll pop it right back over and keep it in play.”

Curtis was pleased with the win, but still sees room for improvement.

“We’re stressing consistency. At one point, they scored nine straight points against us. We can’t have those lapses,” Curtis said.

Lutcher at Riverside – The week didn’t begin any better for the Rebels. Riverside fell in three games to Lutcher, 24-26, 18-25, 19-25 at the Rebels’ gym.

“It was a mirror of the Curtis game,” said Luminais. It set the pace for the week, unfortunately.”

Garcich had six kills, two aces, and 28 digs, and Ashley Forstall had 6 assists. Shaney Borne added two blocks.

“We made some changes to strengthen our lineup, and it seemed to be working for the last week,” Luminais said. “But things turned south.

“It’s hard to come up with any one reason for it,” she added. “It’s not one player or any one specific thing. More than anything, we just need to pull together when we’re under pressure.”

The week wasn’t a total loss for the Rebels, though, who got a win over the weekend against visiting Pope John Paul in three games, 25-14, 26-24, 25-23.

Millet had 19 assists. Garcich had 11 kills and two blocks. Deslatte added 17 digs, and Forstall had four aces.

It was a performance more to Luminais’ liking.

“It was a great win over some good competition,” she said. “Everyone worked well together. Really, that is the type of performance you’d like to have all the time.”