Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Polson sweeps Frenchtown
By JOHN HEGLIE
Special for the Leader
The Polson Lady Pirate volleyball opened their schedule with a road sweep of Frenchtown,
Polson def. Frenchtown 3-0 NWA Polson (1-0), SWA Frenchtown (0-1)
Polson 3, Frenchtown 0
Polson def. Frenchtown 25-21, 28-26, 25-14
KILLS P24 (Kobbey Smith 9, Maggie Todd 6), F13 (Rylee Belcourt 5, Emily Rehbein 5).
ACES – P15, (Mags 5, Kobb 5), F5 (Madelyn Eggers 4).
ASSISTS – P24 (Berkeley Ellis 11, Hallie Moss 8), F (Izzy Cahall 13).
BLOCKS – P0, F14 (Demi Smith 4).
DIGS – P44 (Ara Mercer 16, Mags 9), F33 (Cassidy Bagnell 12). (Tu01Sep20)
Saturday, September 5, 2020
Lady Pirates sweep Lady Loggers
By JOHN HEGLIE
Special for the Leader
Polson hosted an early Senior Night honoring against the visiting Lady Loggers of Libby.
Each set of their conference clash against Libby trickled into the 20s, untimely service errors proving detrimental to the unraveling of Logger rallies almost as much as the Lady Pirates could inflict upon them at the net.
Senior setters Hallie Moss and Berkeley Ellis set the table for their Lady Pirate mates, Ellis capping the final set with a match ending tip-kill.
Senior Chloe DuCharme served up one of her sizzling aces from the service line, while senior libero Ara Mercer filled in the gaps with key defensive digs along with a sprinkling of set assists.
All-state senior Maggie Todd periodically morphed into maximum mayhem mode, leaping to optimal stratospheric elevation, then bludgeoning the ball with vectored velocity at a downward trajectory that would culminate in a nearly indefensible ricochet off the hardwood floor.
Fellow senior Kobbey Smith emulated a similar ‘Thing’ with comparable Fantastic Four Grimmlike “its clobberin time” spikes that teetered Loggers back on their heels like toppling timber. The game was a fitting early Senior Night honoring for the half dozen seniors, sans the unwelcomed loitering of pandemic concerns that require vigilant precautions to ensure that teams make deep forays into their scheduling.
Polson def. Libby 3-0
Polson (1-0, 2-0), Libby (1-2, 1-2)
Polson def. Libby 25-21, 25-22, 25-23
KILLS – L23 (Julia Martineau 6, Olivia Gillian- Smith 6), P33 (Maggie Todd 13, Kobbey Smith 9).
ACES – L4 (Laneigha Zeiler 2), P4 (Mckenna Hanson 3, Chloe DuCharme).
ASSISTS – L21 (Laneigha Zeiler 20), P31 (Berkley Ellis 11, Hallie Moss 11).
BLOCKS – L6 (Gilliam-Smith 2BS, Martinaeu 3BA, Jessica Cunningham 3BA), P4 (Kobb BS, Mags BS, Moss BS, Kenna BA, Liz Tolley BA).
DIGS – L36 (Aren James 19), P59 (Kobb 14, Mags 13).
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Lady Pirates drop match to Bulldogs
BY JOHN HEGLIE
Special for the Leader
At Polson last Tuesday, the host Lady Pirates periodically held visiting Whitefish at bay, but the leash wouldn’t hold the Lady Bulldogs as they tugged free to nip their hosts.
Trajectory malfunctions would factor large in the pendulum swing between set winners. Polson had a half dozen errant kill attempts coupled with a trio of service errors during their second set loss that floundered into the net like caught fish, more than enough to account for the disparity on the scoreboard.
During the third set, the Lady Pirate opened with the first two points, but then watched the Lady Bulldogs string together bunches, prompting Polson coach Lizzy Cox to spend a timeout trailing 4-9 in an effort to right the listing ship.
Refocused, the Lady Pirates carved into the deficit by taking the next two points on the strength of all-stater Maggie Todd morphing into maximum mayhem mode for back-to-back kills.
But Whitefish responded by stringing together the next five, leaving Polson trailing in their wake 6-14. Chipping away, the Lady Pirates would pull within 21-22 with a Liz Tolley kill.
But Whitefish would wriggle off the hook of the momentum shift to take the set for a 2-1 advantage.
The fourth set was almost the mirror opposite of the previous set, with the Lady Pirates vaulting out to a 9-2 advantage in the early going, handily evening the sets at two apiece to force a fifth and final set finale.
The fifth set finale saw a trio of early ties. But after five-all, Whitefish would edge ahead. After a string of three successive points, Polson was forced to call a timeout trailing 8-12.
But a Bulldog service error and a Liz Tolley kill would be all the further that the Lady Pirates would be able to carve into the deficit, dropping the finale.
Whitefish def. Polson 3-2
Polson (1-1, 2-1), Whitefish (1-1)
Whitefish def. Polson 18-25, 25-17, 25-21, 15-25, 15-10
KILLS – W57 (Brook Smith 37, Jadi Walburn 11), P48 (Maggie Todd 20, Kobbey Smith 9, Hallie Moss 7, Liz Tolley 5, Mckenna Hanson 5, Turquoise Pierre 2).
ACES – W23 (Jenny Patten 6, B.Smith 6), P10 (Chloe DuCharme 2, Mags 2, Ara Mercer 2, Kobb, Hal, Berk, Kenna).
ASSISTS – W51 (Mikenna Ells 26, Patten 21), P47 (Hallie Moss 25, Berkley Ellis 17, Liz 5).
BLOCKS – W6 (Faith Blackaby 3, B.Smith 2), P5 (Liz 2BS, Hal 1BS, Mags 1BS, Turq 1BS).
DIGS – W104 (Ashton Ramsey 32, Walburn 19, Patten 15), P62 (Hallie Moss 14, Mags 13, Berk 12, Ara 10, Kobb 9, Chloe 2, Kenna 2)
Friday, September 11, 2020
Lady Pirate sweep
BY JOHN HEGLIE
Special for the Leader
On Friday, the Lady Pirates swept the visiting Lady Indians of Browning. The first two sets were competitive as the visitors pushed into the 20s.
But the Polson front line of all-stater Maggie Todd along with the collaborative effort of Kobbey Smith and Liz Tolley inflicted the visitors with their aerial bombardment, while Berkley Ellis and Hallie Moss sizzled from the service line by serving up a quartet of aces each.
Polson 3, Browning 0
Polson (2-1, 3-1), Browning (0-3, 0-4)
Polson def. Browning 25-20, 25-20, 25-13
KILLS – B15 (Gianna Vickers 5, Kalcie Connelly 3), P33 (Maggie Todd 15, Kobbey Smith 6, Liz Tolley 6).
ACES –B4 (Sierha Eaton 3, P.Armstrong 1), P13 (Berkley Ellis 4, Hallie Moss 4),
ASSISTS – B45 (Sierha Eaton 14, P.Armstrong >1), P30 (Berk 12, Hallie Moss 14).
BLOCKS – B7 (Abby Bullcalf 4, Melorie WhiteQuills 1), P2 (Maggie Todd, Turquoise Pierre).
DIGS – B104 (Piitahki Armstrong 39, G.Vickers 22), P33 (Maggie Todd 7, Ara Mercer 7).
Lady Pirates record another sweep
Polson posted a home sweep over Browning, 25-20, 25-20, 25-13. Maggie Todd had a big night for the Pirates with 15 kills and seven digs. Teammate Hallie Moss had 14 assists and four aces.
Polson 3, Browning 0
Game scores: 25 – 20, 25 – 20, 25 – 13.
Browning: Gianna Vickers 5 kills, Abby Bullcalf 4 blocks, Piitahki Armstrong 39 digs, Sierha Eaton 3 aces, 14 assists.
Polson: Maggie Todd 15 aces, 7 digs, 2 blocks, Turquoise Pierre 2 blocks, Ara Mercer 7 digs, Hallie Moss 4 aces, 14 assists.
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
Lady Pirates down Broncs in 5 set match
Polson defeated Hamilton 3-2.
No more info at this time.
Thursday, September 17, 2020
Kats claw Lady Pirates
Columbia Falls overcame a tight second set against Polson to earn a 25-14, 25-22, 25-14 victory. Mady Hoerner collected 18 kills, four aces and two blocks, all team highs. Hannah Schweikert had 34 of the team’s 37 assists. Maggie Todd paced Polson with nine kills and 16 dig
Columbia Falls 3, Polson 0
CFalls 25 25 25
Polson 14 22 14
CFalls:
Kills: 43 (Mady Hoerner 13)
Assists: 31 (Hannah 5(Schweikert 34}
Digs: (McKenna Rensel 17)
Aces.: 9 (Hoerner 4)
Blocks: 3 (Hoerner 2)
Polson:
Kills 16 (Maggie Todd 9)
Aces: 2 (two with one)
Assists: l6 Hallie Moss 8)
Digs: 46 (Todd 16)
Blocks: 5 (two with two)
Saturday, September 19, 2020
Lady Pirates down rival Maidens
POLSON – Maggie Todd had 18 kills and 20 digs to lead Polson past Northwestern A rival Ronan in four sets Saturday. Kobbey Smith added 7 kills for the Pirates (5-2), who prevailed 20-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-18.
Ronan’s Olivia Clairmont had 12 kills and Kylie Lindquist had 20 digs.and Madeline McCrea had a big game with 3.5 blocks and two ace
Polson def. Ronan 3-1
Polson def. Ronan 20-25, 25-17, 25-20, 15-8
Kills – Ronan 35 (Olivia Clairmont 12), Polson 32 (Maggie Todd 18)
Assists – Ronan 32 (Hannah Rowe 30), Polson 32 (Berkley Ellis 19).
Digs – Ronan 59 (Rylie Lindquist 20), Polson 60 (Todd 20, Ara Mercer 13).
Blocks – Ronan 7 (Madeline McCrea 3.5), Polson 3 (Grace Simonich, Todd, Hallie Moss).
Aces – Ronan 6 (McCrea 2, Rowe 2), Polson 11 (Ellis 5).
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Lady Pirates defeat Lady Loggers 3-1
Polson pulled out a tight four-set victory against Libby, 25-23, 26-28, 25-18, 25-23, to improve to 6-2. Maggie Todd paced the Pirates with 16 kills to go with 21 digs and one block. Kobbey Smith added 14 kills, 29 digs and two aces. Berkley Ellis had a team-best 21 assists and two aces, while Ara Mercer led Polson with 30 digs.
Polson def. Libby 25-23, 26-28, 25-18, 25-23
KILLS – P41 (Maggie Todd 16, Kobbey Smith 14, Hallie Moss 4, Liz Tolley 4, Mckenna Hanson 3), L38 (Ember Rode 10, Olivia Gilliam-Smith 9, J.Martineau 8).
ACES – P6 (Kobb 2, Berk 2, Ara, Chloe), L5 (Julia Martineau 2, Mariah Goucher 2).
ASSISTS – P38 (Berkley Ellis 31, Hallie 3, Liz, Kobb, Kenna, Turquoise Pierre), L30 (Laneigha Zeiler 27). BLOCKS – P3 (Liz, Hallie, Mags), L10 (Rode 2BS2BA, Gilliam-Smith 4, J.Martineau 4).
DIGS – P124 (Ara Mercer 30, Kobb 29, Mags 21, Berk 18, Kenna 13, Chloe DuCharme 10, Hallie 2, Turq), L51 (Aren James 27).
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
Pirates pound Dawgs in rematch
At Whitefish, the visiting Lady Pirates avenged their five-set loss from a month prior. Polson outhit their opponent at the net, led by the collaborative efforts of Maggie Todd and Kobbey Smith, who combined for a dozen and a half spikes. But where the Lady Pirates really shined was when they rocked the service line, lobbing in 18 aces, almost half by Berkley Ellis supplemented by another quartet from Kobbey Smith.
Defense was better up to the task this time around, with 20 digs over the course of one less set than in the preceding loss to Whitefish the month prior. Lady Bulldog hitter Brook Smith had erupted for 37 kills the first meeting between the teams, and Polson’s defense made sure that didn’t transpire again. A trio of Lady Pirate defenders notched double figures for defensive digs, led by Ara Mercer, Kobbey Smith and Berkley Ellis, who combined for 52 digs. Todd and Hallie Moss collaborated on another 17 digs.
“We played much better defensively this time around,” head coach Lizzy Cox said.
The Lady Pirates had been slated to travel to Browning this past weekend for their second round conference match with the Lady Indians.
But that game has been suspended as a “no contest” for the time being as it is uncertain whether it will be able to be rescheduled contingent upon COVID-19 precautions.
The originally scheduled
Blocktober Classic multiteam event in Butte also was shelved.
Polson was slated to host Stevensville for their Homecoming match last Thursday, but that match was suspended and has been rescheduled for Thursday, Oct. 15.
Polson def. Whitefish 25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 25-17 Polson (5-3, 7-3), Whitefish (3-5, 4-5) KILLS – P39 (Maggie Todd 10, Kobbey Smith 8, Turquoise Pierre 6, Hallie Moss 5, Mckenna Hanson 4, Liz Tolley 2, Ara 2, Berk 2), W30 (Brook Smith 14, Jadi Walburn 6, Brooke Zetooney 6). ACES – P18 (Berkley Ellis 7, Kobb 4, Chloe DuCharme 2, Mags 2, Hallie 2, Kenna), W3 (Zetooney, Patten, Treweiler). ASSISTS – P34 (Berk 25, Hallie 6, Chloe 2, Ara), W28 (Mikenna Ells 15, Jenny Patten 12). BLOCKS – P5 (Mags 2, Liz, Hallie, Turq), W1 (Walburn 1ba, Gabby Herrick 1ba). DIGS – P82 (Ara Mercer 21, Kobb 17, Berk 14, Mags 9, Hallie 8, Kenna 5, Chloe 5, Liz 2, Turq), W112 (Ashton Ramsey 30, Emma Treweiler 21, B.Smith 21, Ells 20).
hursday, October15, 2020
Pirates swat Yellowjackets
BY JOHN HEGLIE, Special for the Leader
At Polson, Stevensville and the Lady Pirates played a closely contested match that was rescheduled after a Polson homecoming cancellation.
The opening set featured 10 ties and four lead changes through 19-all before a Stevi service error gave the hosts the lead for good. A subsequent ace by Kobbey Smith precipitated a Lady Yellowjacket timeout. Smith shrugged off the attempt to ice the server by reeling off three more aces in a row, the last finding the killer corner of the court.
Coming out of a Polson timeout in the second, the Lady Pirates went on a 6-2 run that included back-to-back service aces by Hallie Moss to close within one at 16-15. Stevi then reeled off three straight points en route to taking the second set.
Stevensville started the third set on a 4-0 run, which Polson countered to even things up at four apiece. There were seven more ties and numerous lead changes through 21-all before a Kobbey Smith ace delivered the third set to Polson.
The fourth set started out back and forth with a quintet of ties in the early going through eight apiece. An Ara Mercer back row kill along with subsequent sizzler of a service ace edged the Lady Pirates ahead. A trio of aces by Smith, Mckenna Hanson and Maggie Todd followed by the ninth ace of the evening from Smith forced a Stevensville timeout trailing 10-15 in an effort to regroup. The Lady Jackets closed the gap within two, 15-17, which prompted Polson to burn a timeout so that Lady Pirate coach Lizzy Cox could refocus her team. Polson would reel off four straight thereafter for a half dozen point advantage, 15-21. Out of a Stevensville timeout, the visitors would close the gap with a 3-1 run to 18-22, but that would be as close as they would get as the hosts closed out the set and the match.
Maggie Todd led Polson with 21 kills on the evening. Kobbey Smith served up nine aces, including four straight in the first set.
Hallie Moss turned in matching sets of three from behind the service line as well as at the net while helping out on defense with seven digs. Senior libero Ara Mercer led the defensive effort with 30 digs.
Polson will close out the regular schedule against the visiting WildKats of Columbia Falls on Saturday.
Polson def. Stevensville 25-19, 20-25, 25-23, 25-20
KILLS – S46 (Aliyah Anderson 15, Daphne Engel 9), P40 (Maggie Todd 21, Kobb 9, Turquoise Pierre 4, Hallie Moss 3, Mckenna Hanson, Ara, Berk).
ACES – S3 (Weber, Engel, Hendrickson), P14 (Kobbey Smith 9, Hallie 3, Ara, Mags).
ASSISTS – S40 (Maddie Weber 37, Engel 3), P38 (Berkley Ellis 23, Hallie 6, Liz Tolley 4, Turq 3, Kobb, Kenna).
BLOCKS – S4 (Mackaela Hawthorne 1BS, Ella Hendrickson 1BS), P3 (Mags 1BS1BA, Liz Tolley 1BS, Turq 1BA).
DIGS – S86 (Kelti Wandler 21, Engel 18), P91 (Ara Mercer 30, Mags 17, Berk 15, Kobb 12, Hallie 7, Chloe DuCharme 4, Turq 2, Kenna 2, Liz 2).
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Lady Pirates sweep Lady Bulldogs
Polson swept St. Ignatius on Thursday. No other info available.
Saturday, October 24, 2020
Columbia Falls Spike Polson
Columbia Falls swept Polson on Saturday, 25-14, 25-21, 26-24. Kobbey Smith had seven kills for the Pirates. Ara Mercer piled up 18 digs.
no other information available
Wednesday, November 04, 2020
PLAY-IN MATCHES
NW #4 RONAN 3 NW #5 LIBBY 0
NW #3 WHITEFISH VS NW #6 BROWNING
SW#3 HAMILTON 3 SW#6 DILLON 2
SW#5 BUTTE CENTRAL 3 SW#4 STEVENSVILLE 1
Thursday, November 05, 2020
WESTERN ‘A’ DIVISIONAL
GM1–#2SW FRENCHTOWN V WHITEFISH
GM2–#2 NW POLSON V HAMILTON
GM3–#1NW COLUMBIA FALLS V BUTTE CENTRAL 6PM
GM4–#1SW CORVALLIS V RONAN 6PM
Maroons win in four, advance to Divisionals
STEVENSVILLE — The Butte Central Maroons got the band back together Wednesday night, and they played a winning tune.
With most of their players coming off a 14-day quarantine because of COVID-19 concerns, the Maroons hit the road to bounce Stevensville in four sets to punch their ticket to the Western A Divisional tournament.
The Maroons won the tournament play-in match 25-22, 26-24, 23-25, 25-19, and BC will travel to Columbia Falls to take on the WildKats in a 6 p.m. match on Thursday.
The double-elimination tournament is being played with the higher seed hosting each match.
“I cannot say enough about how the girls played tonight coming out of a 14-day quarantine and one short practice today as a team before taking off,” BC coach Becky Hancock said. “It was amazing, the type of game we played, but at the same time does not surprise me. These girls are a very talented group, and they put it all together tonight.”
Ella Moodry spiked 17 kills, while Mati McGree registered six blocks to lead the Maroons.
“Definitely a team effort, but Mati McGree was a beast blocking tonight for us, and that’s something we needed,” Hancock said. “Everybody did what they needed to do, and it’s probably the best volleyball I have seen from them.”
Avery Kelly also had a huge match, spiking 10 kills to go along with four blocks. Amira Bolton added six kills.
Libero Sophie Burton’s 18 digs led the BC backcourt. She was joined in double figures by Maci Reopelle with 14 digs. Reopelle also ran the BC offense with 36 assists.
Butte Central def. Stevenville 25-22, 26-24, 23-25, 25-19
BUTTE CENTRAL STATS — Kills 38 (Ella Moodry 17, Avery Kelly 10, Amira Bolton 6, Sofee Thatcher 3, Mati McGree 1, Maci Reopelle). Assists 38 (Reopelle 36, Kelly 2). Blocks 11 (McGree 6, Kelly 4, Bolton 1). Aces 8 (Sophia Burton 3, Delaney Hasquet 2, Kelly 2, Thatcher 1). Digs 49 (Burton 18, Reopelle 14, Thatcher 7, Bolton 4, Hasquet 3, Kelly 2, Moodry 1)
Ronan, Hamilton win Western A divisional play-in games
MISSOULA — Ronan and Hamilton extended their seasons by winning play-in volleyball games to qualify for the Western A divisional tournament, which begins Thursday.
Ronan, the Northwest No. 4 seed, pulled out a high-scoring first set against Libby, the Northwest No. 5 seed, before rolling in the next two sets of its sweep, 29-27, 25-13, 25-14. The Maidens move on to play at Southwest No. 1 seed Corvallis 7 p.m. Thursday.
Madeline McCrea came up with 10 kills and four blocks, both team highs, as Ronan blocked 11 total shots. Rylie Lindquist paced the Maidens with 17 digs and two aces, while Leina Ulutoa ran the offense with 20 assists
Libby got four kills from Julie Martineau. Jessica Cunningham went for four aces and two blocks.
Big win against Libby tonight. Play-in game, 4 vs 5.
Ronan wins in 3, 29-27, 25-13, 25-14
Ronan leaders
Kills 26, Madeline McCrea 10
Blocks 11, Madeline McCrea 4
Digs 53, Rylie Lindquist 17
Aces 4, Rylie Lindquist 2
Assists 23, Leina Ulutoa 20
Libby leaders
Kills 14, Julie Martineau 4
Blocks 3, Jessica Cunningham 2
Digs 29, Ember Rhode 17
Aces 4, Jessica Cunningham 4
Assists 15, laneigha zeiler 14
Ronan will play 1 seed Corvallis tomorrow for first round divisional tourney. In Corvallis at 7pm.
First time Ronan has made the tourney in a while. Very exciting!
Broncs advance
Southwest No. 4 seed Hamilton pulled out a five-set victory against Southwest No. 5 seed Dillon after dropping the first and fourth sets, 21-25, 25-23, 25-20, 19-25, 15-10. The Broncs advance to play at Northwest No. 2 seed Polson on Thursday.
Stevensville, the Southwest No. 3 seed, got upset by Butte Central, the Southwest No. 6 seed, dropping a 3-1 decision, 25-22, 26-24, 23-25, 25-19. The Maroons will hit the road to play Northwest No. 1 seed Columbia Falls on Thursday. Ella Hendrickson led the Yellowjackets with 14 kills, while Aliyah Anderson, Daphne Engel and Kennedy Praast each had 12 kills. Engel added 17 digs and three aces, both team highs, while Maddie Weber ran the offense with 49 assists
Whitefish, the Northwest No. 3 seed, had received a bye into the divisional and will play at Southwest No. 2 seed Frenchtown on Thursday
Thursday, November 5, 2020
Polson defeated Hamilton 3-2
Friday, November 6, 2020
Polson secures state berth, topping rival Ronan
FRANK GOGOLA Missoulian
Polson is heading back to the State A volleyball tournament for the second season in a row after ending an eight-year drought last season.
The Pirates beat Ronan in four sets Friday at home, 25-21, 25-22, 24-26, 25-21, to advance to the divisional championship game 1 p.m. Saturday at Columbia Falls with a chance to earn the top seed at state. It was their second win in two days after not playing since Oct. 24 because of the way their abbreviated schedule fell.
“Our girls for sure wanted it,” Polson coach Lizzy Cox said. “They came out ready to play. Ronan played awesome too. The game and the atmopshere were amazing because it’s two schools right next to each other. It was such an awesome night. The girls are super excited to go back to state, even though we have to go all the way to Sidney.”
For the second game in a row, Polson overcame the absence of its middle blocker, Turquoise Pierre, who was qurantined last week and will miss the rest of the season. The team cobbled together six blocks, Berkley Ellis and Hallie Moss combined to run the offense with 18 and 17 assists, Maggie Todd led the attack with 21 kills in addition to Kobbey Smith’s 11, and Ara Mercer held down the defense with 47 of the team’s 114 digs.
“Everyone filled in and worked together,” Cox said. “Ara played the best defensive game I’ve seen her play ever. Maggie hit extremely well. They all did it together, and there’s no better way to do it than together.”
Ronan can still qualify for the state tournament, needing to win its loser-out game Saturday at Frenchtown.
Polson def. Ronan, 25-21, 25-22, 24-26, 25-21
Kats advance
Columbia Falls secured a berth into the state tournament and advanced to the divisional championship game by beating Whitefish in four sets, 25-10, 23-25, 25-18, 25-22. The Wildkats will host conference foe Polson to determine the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds out of the tournament heading to state.
Columbia Falls senior Mady Hoerner had a double-double of 20 kills and 18 digs to go with one block. Senior Hannah Schweikert accumulated 45 assists in running the offense and slotted in a team-high four aces. Dillen Hoerner added 13 kills to her team-best 20 digs. Jazzy Marino tabbed four of the team’s five blocks to go with two aces.
“We came out extremely strong, then Whitefish got us in the second set,” Columbia Falls coach Jolandie Brooks said. “Everyone is playing hard, tournament-time ball.”
Whitefish moves to the loser-out bracket and will travel to Corvallis 1 p.m. Saturday with a trip to state on the line.
Corvallis bounced back from its upset loss to Ronan Thursday by sweeping Hamilton at home Friday, 25-15, 25-20, 25-16. Madeline Gilder put together 16 digs, 14 kills and three aces, leading the team in all three categories. Brooklyn Powell ran the offense with 29 assists, and Jenna Jordan collected two of the team’s three blocks. Hamilton’s Layne Kearns had 12 digs, five kills and one block, all team highs.
Frenchtown staved off elimination by rallying from a 2-0 set deficit against Butte Central to win in five sets at home, 17-25, 20-25, 25-20, 25-20, 16-14. Demi Smith put together 10 kills and seven blocks, while Rylee Belcourt led the Broncs with 11 kills. Izzy Cahall operated the offense with 36 assists, while Cassidy Bagnell ran the defense with 20 digs to go with two aces. For Butte Central, Ella Moodry put together 18 kills, Avery Kelly had 14 kills and four blocks, and Maci Reopelle tallied 50 assists, 16 digs and three aces.
Saturday, November 7, 2020
Western A
Kats sweep Lady Pirates in championship
Mady Hoerner had 13 kills and 12 digs to lead Columbia Falls to the divisional crown with a 25-23,25-17, 25-13 sweep of Polson. Hannah Schweikert had 35 of the Wildkat assists and also led the team with four aces. Dillen Hoerner had 12 digs and Jazzy Marino had 11. Maggie Todd had nine kills, 23 digs and two blocks for Polson. Kobbey Smith added on 18 digs, two blocks and two aces. Both teams advance to the State A tournament in Sidney next week.
Ronan advances to state
Madeline McCrea landed 12 kills, 8.5 blocks and three aces, and Leina Ulutoa had all 34 of her team’s assists as Ronan downed Frenchtown 24-26, 25-14, 25-14, 25-20 to advance to the state tournament in Sidney. Rylie Lindquist did her part with 20 digs for the Broncs. Demi Smith and Shelby Smith each had nine kills for Frenchtown, which also received 30 assists from Izzy Cahall, 15 digs from Cassidy Bagnell, 13 assists from Rylee Belcourt and four aces from Maddy Eggers. Demi Smith also led the Maidens with seven blocks.
Devils down Dawgs to advance to state
Corvallis took down Whitefish in 25-17, 23-25, 25-15, 25-13 to punch a ticket to the state tournament as Madeline Gilder tallied 11 kills. Brooklyn Powell had 22 assists, and Madison Lewis and Gabby Kruiger each had two blocks. Jenna Jordan finished with 18 of Corvallis’s 61 digs. Brook Smith had 24 digs, seven kills and a block for Whitefish. Ashton Ramsey had 18 digs, and Emma Trieweiler had 13 digs, two kills and four aces for the Bulldogs.
Columbia Falls beat Polson in three sets to win the Western A title. The Wildkats will be the first seed at the Class A state tournament while the Lady Pirates will be second.
Columbia Falls will play Sidney on Thursday at 10am.
Polson will play Glendive at 2:00PM.
Thursday, November 12, 2020
Glendive bedevils Polson at state tourney
Madison Wahl had a huge afternoon with 28 kills, 20 digs and two aces, and Brittany Kaufman came through with 23 digs and four aces to propel the Red Devils in their opening match.
Tiana Carney chipped in with 37 digs and two aces, Saddie Egan had all 52 of Glendive’s assists and Codi Nagle provided two blocks.
Maggie Todd’s 15 kills and two blocks paved the way for Polson. Kobbey Smith added 14 kills and four aces, Hallie Moss had 11 assists, Ara Mercer 20 digs and Berkley Ellis five aces for the Pirates.
Glendive 3, Polson 1
27-25, 25-22, 13-25, 25-19
GLENDIVE: Aces – B. Kaufman 4; M. Wahl 2; T. Carney 2. Assists – S. Egan 52. Digs – T. Carney 37; B. Kaufman 23; M. Wahl 20. Kills – M. Wahl 28. Blocks – Codi Nagle 2.
POLSON: Aces – Berkley Ellis 5; Kobbey Smith 4. Assists – Hallie Moss 11. Digs – Ara Mercer 20. Kills – Maggie Todd 15; Kobbey Smith 14. Blocks – Maggie Todd 2; McKenna Hanson 1.
Friday, November 13, 2020
Maidens end Lady Pirate season
Olivia Clairmont had 16 kills and two aces, and Madeline McCrea provided eight kills and 4.5 blocks as the Maidens stayed alive with a 25-20, 27-25, 21-25, 25-16 victory over the Pirates.
Rylie Lindquist chipped in with six kills and 21 digs for Ronan. Leina Ulutoa added four blocks and LaReina Cordova notched 16 digs.
Maggie Todd had a big match with 24 kills, 30 digs and a block, and Kobbey Smith provided 18 kills and two aces for Polson. Berkley Ellis helped with 26 assists and three aces for the Pirates, also received 40 digs from Ava Mercer.
Ronan advanced to face Columbia Falls later in the afternoon.
Ronan 3, Polson 1
25-20, 27-25, 21-25, 25-16
RONAN: Aces – 6; Leina Ulutoa 2; Olivia Clairmont 2. Assists – Leina Ulutoa 31; 31. Digs – 26; Rylie Lindquist 21; LaReina Cordova 16. Kills – 34; Olivia Clairmont 16; Madeline McCrea 8; Rylie Lindquist 6. Blocks – 13; Madeline McCrea 5; Leina Ulutoa 4.
POLSON: Aces – 7; Berkley Ellis 3; Kobbey Smith 2. Assists – Berkley Ellis 26; Hallie Moss 13. Digs – 128; Ara Mercer 40; Maggie Todd 30. Kills – 47; Maggie Todd 24; Kobbey Smith 18. Blocks – 2; Maggie Todd 1; Liz Tolley 1.