By JOHNNY PEPPO

Sports Editor

RESERVE – John Curtis tested Riverside’s 18-4 Lady Rebel squad in Reserve Thursday evening with a potent offense that had the home team on their heels for the second and third games. But Riverside regained their momentum in the fourth game to force the tie-breaker, which they took as well to keep their district record unblemished through the first two games of 10-2A.

Rebel head coach Toni Miano said that the team’s seniors deserve a lot of credit.

Against Curtis, Marci Millet was effective throughout with net play and offensive firepower. Fellow senior Nicole Porrier helped with much of Millet’s kills as she handled the large majority of the sets.

The teams split the first two games as Riverside won the first one by a score of 25-21 and went up early in the second before giving up a Lady Patriot rally for a 21-25 loss.

That opened the door for the Curtis squad to make a stand, which they did with a potent offensive effort for a 24-26 win in the third game. But the Lady Rebel defense, led by Heidi Garcich with nine digs in the match, stiffened to give the offense an opportunity. Heidi Garcich came up with

several big plays, both from the net and from the backcourt, during this stretch, which ended with a 25-12 win for Riverside.

The home team carried the momentum from game four into the tie-breaker for a steady five point lead. Curtis made a push just before the Rebels made it to game point, but it ultimately ended in Riverside’s favor by a score of 15-8

The Lady Rebels now stand at 19-4 on the season and 2-0 in district. Next up, they head into the East St. John tournament this weekend before getting back to district against St. James next Tuesday. The Lady Wildcats are coming off of a three-game loss to St. Charles.