Volleyball Recap: Galena Falls Despite Big Games from Mel Rice and Addison Williams

If Galena was riding high fresh off their 3-0 takedown of Verona on Monday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Bears fell 3-1 to the Crane Pirates on Thursday. The Bears were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Pirates apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in September of 2024.

While Galena ultimately came up short, they really made Crane work, particularly in the fourth set. The match finished with set scores of 25-23, 25-16, 23-25, 26-24.

Mel Rice

Attacks Kills

09/25/25 @ Crane	21
09/22/25 vs Verona	17
09/20/25 @ Jefferson Independent Day	16
09/20/25 vs Sheldon	7
09/20/25 vs Everton	13
+ 10 more games

Galena's loss came despite strong showings from Addison Williams and Mel Rice. Williams had 11 digs, while Rice had 21 kills, 16 digs, and one block. Rice is on a roll when it comes to kills, as she's now had six or more in each of the last 15 games she's played. Allyssa Howard also deserves some recognition as she had her first blocks of the season.

Galena's loss dropped their record down to 12-7-1. As for Crane, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 7-9-1.

Looking ahead, Galena will look to defend their home court on Saturday against Chadwick at 8:00 a.m. Crane has already played their next contest (against School of the Ozarks), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.