Raiders swept by Elk Mound in regional semis

The Arcadia volleyball team went into their playoff clash with Elk Mound knowing they had to be sharp to come away with a road win to advance to the regional finals. In the end, the Raiders couldn’t get enough going to keep their season alive.

The fourth-seeded Mounders swept away the fifth-seeded Raiders 25-20, 25-12, 25-21 in a Division Three regional semifinal clash last Thursday in Elk Mound.

The Mounders kept Arcadia on its heels throughout most of the match, keeping rallies alive with stout defense and forcing the Raiders’ hands a bit.

“The Elk Mound match was definitely a battle. We competed hard, but in the end, Elk Mound had a few more tools to work with,” said Arcadia head coach Natalie Anderson. “To their credit, they played outstanding defense and were able to transition quickly from defense to offense to create a strong attack. I’m very proud of our leadership and how we competed to finish our season. Our captains played strong throughout, and our senior leaders helped set the tone for our team. We did many good things and executed our game plan but made a few too many mistakes to come out on top down the stretch.”

Leaders for the Raiders in that season-ending defeat were Tatum Drazkowski with eight kills and three blocks, Joselyn Lockington with 13 digs and five kills, Adella Anderson with 22 assists and Justine Sonsalla with four aces.

“This senior-heavy group will be hard to replace. They’re smart, athletic, and bring years of varsity experience. The knowledge, work ethic, and skill level of players like Adella, Justine, Joselyn and Hermione (Carreon) have set a high standard for our program,” Natalie Anderson said. “Having coached for many years, I will say that these girls were exceptionally fun to be around. They are positive, caring and just overall excellent young ladies that I will always have a special bond with.”