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A tough non-conference schedule to start the season for the Richland College volleyball team, which has played seven National Junior College Athletic Association Division I teams and one NJCAA Division II squad, is now paying off in a huge way for the T-Ducks.

Richland is currently 3-1 in Metro Athletic Conference play, having won its last three league matches.

After falling to Brookhaven College, the No. 1-ranked NJCAA Division III team, the T-Ducks have beaten the Cedar Valley, Eastfield and Mountain View colleges.

Arguably more impressive is the fact that Richland didn’t drop a game in any of these conference matches – a strong sign that the young team is growing.

In this week’s games versus Eastfield and Mountain View, T-Ducks setter Rhonda Ivey combined for 41 assists, libero Jocelyn Brown totaled 31 digs and middle blocker Amanda White finished with 23 kills.

Richland will take a brief break from conference action when head coach Zelda Smith’s team travels to Corsicanna on Saturday for a tri-match before resuming conference play at 7 p.m. on Monday at North Lake College.

For the second time this season, the Richland College volleyball team beat Cedar Valley College, taking a 25-15, 25-18, 25-21 victory on Thursday.

The win is Richland’s second of the season and followed a 25-16, 25-14, 25-9 loss to Brookhaven in the T-Ducks home-opener on Monday.

Richland is now 1-1 in Metro-Athletic Conference action.

Rhonda Ivey finished with 25 assists and Amanda White had 11 kills, 11 digs and 3.5 blocks to lead Richland past Cedar Valley College.

In the T-Ducks’ other tournament matches, they lost a tough matches to Hesston College (18-25, 25-20, 15-3) and Clarendon College (25-21, 25-20), along with a defeat to Navarro College (25-18, 25-18).

Middle blocker Amanda White, who leads Richland College in kills finished the tournament with 35, while teammates Jocelyn Brown had 38 digs and Ronda Ivey had 66 assists.

As of Saturday, Sept. 6, White led the NJCAA Division III in kills, averaging 3.824 a game, while Brown was tops in digs with an 6.059 average per game.

Richland College volleyball fans will get their first chance to see the T-Ducks play in their home-opener at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22.

The Richland College volleyball team’s 2008 season gets underway this weekend on the road at a tournament at Lamar College in Port Arthur.

Head coach Zelda Smith and her squad are coming off a season in which the T-Ducks got off to a slow start but ended the regular season strong, ultimately finishing second in the Metro Athletic Conference.

Additionally, several players received all-conference honors, including Ashalyn Scales and NaKiethia Lampkin, whom both earned First-Team All-Conference and All-Region V Team accolades. Both Scales and Lampkin were sophomores last season and won’t be on this year’s roster.

However, four freshmen players – Jessica Moore, Ronda Ivey, Jocelyn Brown and Krysta Miles – were awarded honorable mention.

Should they all return to play this season, the T-Duck’s, which featured eight freshmen on last year’s roster, will have experience in key positions.

Richland College volleyball fans will get their chance to see coach Smith’s team play at home for the first time this year on Monday, Sept. 22 against Brookhaven College.

For continued Richland College volleyball news, along with other T-Ducks sports, log on to www.rlc8.dcccd.edu/thundersports .   

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Volleyball team opens week with win before dropping two matches

The T-Ducks volleyball team started last week off with another win, a 20-32, 30-28, 30-19, 30-25 come-from-behind victory over Cedar Valley College on Monday, Oct. 8 before losing its next two games.

On Friday, Oct. 12, the T-Ducks fell to Western Texas College, 30-21, 30-26, 30-26, before losing Saturday, Oct. 13 in straight sets to Clarendon College, 30-9, 30-27, 30-17.

Last week’s victory was the third in five matches for the T-Ducks.

Women’s soccer teams combines for 21 points in shutout victories; Men look to rebound from loss

For the fourth game in a row, Dominique Harrison scored two goals in helping lead the T-Duck women’s soccer team to a victory as Richland beat Brookhaven, 6-0, to open last week’s action.

The T-Ducks followed that win with another shutout, 15-0, over Mountain View College on Friday, Oct. 12.

Against Mountain View, at least 10 players contributed to the win with either a goal or assist. Richland also was scheduled to play Hill College on Sat. Oct. 13; scores are forthcoming.

The men’s soccer team was also scheduled to play Hill College on Saturday and those scores will be available in the next weekly update.

The T-Duck men’s soccer team was trying to rebound from a 4-2 loss to Jefferson College on Oct. 7. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak.

            The T-Duck volleyball team has played some extremely tough competition to start their season.

            Evidence of their grueling schedule presented itself this past weekend when the  T-Ducks played and lost to five NJCAA Division I schools.

            The T-Ducks lost to the University of Arkansas- Fort Smith (16-30, 18-30), Navarro College (12-30, 15-30), Indian Hills (6-30, 14-30), Redlands (10-30, 21-30, 8-30), and North Central Texas College (16-30, 13-30, 18-30).

            After a loss at home Sept. 18 against Seminole State University, T-Duck coach Zelda Smith said, “right now we are looking for consistency in overall team play. With such a young team, [there] is a lot of growth potential.”

            Coupled with a tough schedule and a young squad, the T-Ducks’ growth thus far will be put to the test when they open Metro-Athletic Conference play on the road Monday against Northlake College at 7 p.m.

            The T-Ducks continue conference play on the road Thursday when they play Brookhaven College at 7:30 p.m. before taking a break from league action and hit the road Saturday to play Seminole State University and Cowley College.

A young T-Ducks volleyball team is still searching for their first win of the season after losing, 12-30, 18-30, 15-30, at home Tuesday, Sept. 18 to a tough Seminole State College squad.

Playing at home for first time since Sept. 1, the T-Ducks got off to a slow start in Game 1, falling behind 10-1, and never recovered, despite better play toward the end of the game.

“In the first game, I think it was nerves but their intensity grew as it went on,” T-Ducks coach Zelda Smith said. “We had regrouped and changed our intensity but it was too late for a team of that caliber.”

The T-Ducks’ intensity, however, carried over into Game 2.

They were led early with solid defensive play from freshmen Amber Hill (outside hitter) and Krysta Miles (middle blocker), who, entering Tuesday’s game had led her squad in kills (34), blocks (19) and hitting efficiency (21.8 percent).

Their play, coupled with a few nicely positioned tips from sophomore defensive stopper/ outside hitter Nakiethia Lampkin, kept them in the second game as the T-Ducks trailed 15-10 midway through.

Both teams traded the next couple of points but, because of service errors, the T-Ducks could only get within four of SSC for the rest of the game.

“We had some serving issues in the second game but we also have lots of people out,” Smith said. “Each time [we play], it’s always about growing.”

Like Game 1, SSC quickly jumped out to a large lead, 10-2, in the final game of the match and looked like it would run away with it.

However, because of the play of freshman Jocelyn Brown (defensive stopper/ outside hitter) and Lampkin, the T-Ducks didn’t go down without a fight as the two finished the final game with a few kills apiece.

“We compare it [the T-Ducks season] to a car and getting parts fixed for it,” Smith said. “Right now, we are looking for consistency in overall team play. With a such a young team, [there] is a lot of growth potential.”

Richland’s next four matches are on the road before the T-Ducks are back at home Monday, Oct. 1 to face Mountain View College at 7 p.m.

9/13 - Hill College def. Richland(16-30, 11-30)
9/13 - TX A&M University Club def. Richland (28-30, 29-31)
9/13 - North Central Texas College def. Richland (16-30, 13-30)
9/13 - Cedar Valley def. Richland (14-30,29-31)

Overall Record - 0-11
Conf. Record - 0-0

The Richland College Women’s Volleyball recently began their season play in late August under the direction of head coach Zelda Smith.

Current scores include:

8/28 - Vernon def. Richland (21-30, 21-30, 15-30)
8/28 - Univ. of Ark def. Richland (4-30, 10-30, 24-30)
8/31 - NCTC Round Robin CANCELED
9/1 - Paris def Richland (24-30, 21-30, 18-30)

Overall Record - 0-3
Conf. Record - 0-0

For more details, contact Anitra Cotton at 972-238-6022 or anitracotton@dcccd.edu.