Lady Rebels host 1A Western Wyoming Challenge

Riverside Middle/High School hosted 10 teams this past weekend for the 1A Western Wyoming Challenge Volleyball Tournament. It brought a full weekend of volleyball action to Basin during Homecoming weekend.

The tournament ran smoothly thanks to the tremendous support of administrators, coaches, officials, maintenance staff, table workers, concession volunteers, hospitality room volunteers, and Riverside fans. The Lady Rebel volleyball program would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who helped make the tournament a success.

The Riverside varsity squad showed tremendous growth throughout the weekend, including two of its strongest matches of the season. The Lady Rebels saved some of their best volleyball for their matchup against the No. 1-ranked Hulett Red Devils, competing with determination and refusing to back down.

Varsity team co-captain Hadley Hopkin said, “I think the weekend went great. We all worked pretty hard and played awesome against the number one team in the state. I’m proud of how we pushed ourselves in that match and just tried our hardest. I’m proud of our team and I think we’re gonna have a great season.”

Varsity team other co-captain Hannah Suiter added, “We had some amazing touches on balls and worked together. We strive to grow and it’s showing.”

Head Coach Nikki Hopkin was equally proud of the team’s performance and continued development.

“Our Lady Rebels played two of their best matches of the season this weekend, with the best play coming in the match against the No. 1-ranked Hulett Red Devils. Our girls played hard with grit and determination. They continue to impress me with their growth as our new rotation gets better and better. I look forward to each weekend to see the growth in these girls, both on and off the court. I couldn’t be more proud to be a Riverside Rebel!”

The Riverside JV squad also had an outstanding weekend, finishing 2-0 in its matches. Their coach Hannah Klitzke said the team’s growth, both individually and collectively, has been exciting to watch. “These girls are learning, growing, and building something special together. I couldn’t be more proud of them. More than anything, I’m proud of the way these girls have grown together. They are becoming not only better volleyball players, but better teammates.”

The JV team captain Cynthia Olsen echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the team’s hard work and growing confidence. She said, “This last weekend was really good for our team! We all had individual growth and grew so much as a team. We all played our greatest and celebrated all of our wins and losses. Each person that’s a part of our team came together and worked really hard. We showed the opposing girls who the Riverside Lady Rebels are.” 

The Lady Rebels will continue to build on the momentum from this weekend as they head into the next stretch of their season. With each match, the team continues to grow in confidence, consistency and chemistry—both on and off the court.

Lady Rebel Varsity Tournament Statistics

The Lady Rebels saw strong individual performances throughout the 1A Western Wyoming Challenge.

Brianna Landis led the team in serving, recording 11 aces over the weekend. Cachelynn Forshee and Hadley Hopkin followed with 7 aces each, while Danika Brauer and Kaydee Brown each contributed 3 aces.

At the net, Hannah Suiter, Kaydee Brown, and Hadley Hopkin led the Lady Rebels with 7 kills each. Trinity Wenzel added 4 kills, while Danika Brown and Annabelle Brown each recorded 2 kills.

Hadley Hopkin led the team in assists with 16, followed by Whitley Godfrey with 8 assists.

Defensively, Cachelynn Forshee led the Lady Rebels with an impressive 29 digs. Hannah Suiter added 15 digs, while Evalynn Olsen and Danika Brauer each recorded 6 digs. Hadley Hopkin and Kaydee Brown contributed 5 digs each.

The Lady Rebels also made their presence felt at the net, with Hannah Suiter and Tenley Zierlein each recording a big block against No. 1-ranked Hulett.

The individual statistics reflect the continued growth and contributions of the entire Lady Rebel roster as the team continues to build chemistry and confidence throughout the season.