The Midway Lady Raiders kept their postseason run alive Saturday with an impressive 3-1 road victory over the Wallace-Rose Hill Lady Bulldogs, advancing deeper into the state playoffs. The win came by set scores of 25-12, 24-25, 25-23, and 25-14, showing both resilience and control from a determined Midway squad.
Head coach Susan Clark praised her team’s energy and unity from the start.
“The energy; my girls brought a lot of energy and excitement and positivity to the game,” Clark stressed. “They were very unified. They worked together well, and they were just excited.”
After dominating the opening set, the Lady Raiders found themselves tested in the second as Wallace-Rose Hill battled back. Midway regrouped quickly, tightening their play and sticking to their fundamentals to take back control and close out the match in four sets.
“When you play a team more than twice in a season, it obviously becomes more difficult to counter,” Clark said. “We put in a couple of different offensive focuses, but really it just came down to sticking with the basics and doing the things we do well.”
Even with the intensity of a loud road environment, Clark said her players handled the moment with poise.
“It was probably as nervous as I’ve seen them all season,” she said. “I was very proud that they were able to overcome that.”
Without the comfort of their home crowd, the Lady Raiders leaned on each other to generate momentum.
“They love having our student section; it gives them confidence and power, but we didn’t have that this past Saturday,” Clark said. “Wallace did, and they were very loud. My girls learned to take that and use it as motivation. I think winning Saturday is definitely a big plus going on the road again.”
Clark credited the team’s strong blocking, smart offensive decisions, and scrappy back-row defense as key factors in the win.
“It took a total team effort,” she said. “When one was down, another picked them up. Our blocking was solid, our defense was consistent, and the communication stayed strong throughout. We just kept pushing.”
Looking ahead to the next round, the Lady Raiders are focused on tightening their defense and maintaining their balanced attack.
“Blocking, blocking, blocking,” Clark said. “We’ve got to shut their offense down. That’s what we’re keying on.”
With energy, unity, and confidence growing each round, the Lady Raiders will look to continue their postseason momentum as one of the most cohesive and competitive teams in the bracket.
Midway (18-6) will travel to face Ayden-Grifton (25-7) for regionals today at 6 p.m., edging one step closer to the state final.