Riverside Drops Championship Match to A-P in 5-Set Thriller

Riverside Drops Championship Match to A-P in 5-Set Thriller –

(10-29-25) – The thrill of victory quickly turned into the agony of defeat.

Riverside took on Aplington-Parkersburg in the Class 2A-Region 7 Championship match Wednesday and the final unbeaten volleyball team in the state of Iowa would suffer heartbreak, losing in a 5-set marathon match, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-11, 17-15.

Bulldogs Coach Brooke Flathers was proud of how her players performed.

“I thought our girls did a good job leaving it all out there,” Flathers told KNOD Sports following the match. “You know, a few errors here and there, but nothing to bat their eyes about. They did a great job, did everything we asked of them (but) came up short.”

Riverside actually had two Championship points in Set 5, but terrific play by the Falcon’s Zoey Uhlenhopp prevented the Bulldogs from capitalizing and reaching the State Tournament in back-to-back for the first time in school history.

The match was filled with spectacular play by both teams. In Set 3, in a mad scramble for heading backwards out of bounds, Sophia Fenner made a terrific bump Sydney Somers how smacked a one-armed shot from beyond her own end line that landed just inside the near sidelines for a crucial point. The Bulldogs won the set and took a 2-1 lead in the match at that point.

It was the 2nd consecutive match that Riverside had 5 players with at least 5 kills.

Senior Bentley Rone had 28 assists, 12 kills, and 14 digs, while fellow senior Madison Kelley had 6 kills in their final match of their high school career. Flathers appreciated the dedication of her seniors over the years.

“Their freshman year, they didn't play varsity. They sat behind some kids who were really strong. They learned. They got better. Every year after that, (they) played major roles for the teams and the success that we put together those seasons, and they've done a great job stepping up this year in a lot of different ways. I'm really proud of them and sad to see them go.”

Somers led the Big Dawgs with 17 kills, including the 500th of her career. Lilli Reed added 10 kills and 3 aces, while Arabella Singleton had 8 kills and Ashley Kelley provided 19 assists and 13 digs.

For now, Flathers will relish in the dynamic her Bulldog squad had this season.

“They're so competitive. They match my competitiveness for sure. But my favorite things are all the little moments between they're a goofy bunch. They're goofy. They want to have fun. They've taught me how to have fun while still being competitive. It's been a really great year.

Riverside ends their season with a record of 38-1.

View past scores by visiting the Iowa High School Athletic Association's website, Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union website,
or Iowa Quik Stats