Lady Rangers grab historic win over Hill

The Ranger College Lady Rangers wanted to do something special to honor teammate Aaliyah Hardy on Tuesday so they warmed up in custom T-shirts with "All For Aaliyah" on the front. Then they capped the effort by posting a historic win over rival Hill College in front of a small crowd in the Ron Butler Gymnasium.

Backed by 18 kills from Gloria Guerin and double-digit efforts from Ava Shmueli and Hannah Regan, the RC women notched their first won over Hill College in more than a decade by grinding out a thrilling 3-2 decision. The Lady Rangers won the final two games, including a 15-7 mark in the final set, to secure the victory.

"This is the first time we have beaten them since I have been here," said RC head coach Nicole Smith. "This is a big game for us."

With the win, Ranger College improved to 12-5 for the season and, more important, moved into second place in the NTJCAC standings, one game behind conference-leading North Central Texas.

Hill grabbed the early advantage, winning the first game by a nail-biting 27-25 margin. Ranger knotted the game county at 1-1 by taking the second set, 25-23.

The Lady Rebels seemed to have seized the momentum from there. They took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five contest with a 25-19 win in the third frame.

Facing elimination, Ranger rallied back to force a decisive fifth game by winning the fourth game, 25-22.

Guerin also finished the contest with 22 digs.

Shmueli posted 22 assists and 14 digs, while Regan added 22 assists and 24 digs.

Sophomore Sakura Thomas led the Lady Rangers in digs with 29.

Jasmin Garcia and Macie Morgan also starred for RC. Both finished with eight kills.

Ranger will host rival Cisco College on Thursday, Sept. 30, beginning at 5 p.m.