Bumped from divisional

by Matt Baldwin / Whitefish Pilot
| November 12, 2009 11:00 PM

The Columbia Falls Wildkats bounced Whitefish from the Northwest divisional volleyball tournament Nov. 7 in a loser-takes-fourth game that went into the fifth frame.

Led by Brooke Cady, the 'Kats launched 46 kills over Whitefish to sweep the final three games of the match.

"Columbia Falls did a great job of fighting back," Whitefish coach Jackie Fuller said. "They out hustled us, and when a team out hustles you, they're going to win."

The Lady Bulldogs finished the tourney with a 1-2 record, losing to Libby in the first round and knocking off Ronan in the loser-out game before falling to Columbia Falls.

This is only the second time in the past 10 years that Whitefish has missed the state Class A playoffs.

In the three-set win over Ronan, Kaitlyn Wehrli knocked down 10 kills for Whitefish, while Jessica Slaybaugh floated 22 assists. The Lady 'Dogs scored 12 aces, led by five from Madison Tveidt. Heather Bailey had two blocks.

Libby took first in the tourney, while Polson finished second. They move on to the state Class A tournament in Bozeman this weekend.

Whitefish finished the season 4-4 in conference play and 6-5 overall, including regular season sweeps of both Columbia Falls and Ronan.

"All in all, I'm really proud of our girls and the season they had," Fuller said. "We built a real family bond, and the girls learned a lot on the floor and off the floor about what will make them successful in life. That's what it's all about."

The Lady Bulldogs graduate three seniors from this year's squad — Jessica Slaybaugh, Kaitlyn Wehrli and Molly Filipek.

"My hat goes off to the three seniors," Fuller said. "I'm going to miss those three."

Whitefish def. Ronan 25-13, 25-12, 25-17

Kills - Whitefish 29 (Kaitlyn Wehrli 10), Ronan 11 (Chelsey Bourdon 4). Blocks - Whitefish 5 (Heather Bailey 2), Ronan 4 (Tailyr Irvine 2). Digs - Whitefish 23 (Wehrli 6), Ronan 24 (Makenzie Middleton 7). Assists - Whitefish 28 (Jessica Slaybaugh 22), Ronan 8 (Lyndsee Conklin 3). Aces - Whitefish 12 (Madison Tveidt 5), Ronan 5 (Taylor Lynch 2).