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Valkyries go out fighting to end volleyball season

by Sally Finneran Bigfork Eagle
| November 13, 2014 11:20 AM

Bigfork High School ended its 2014 volleyball season Friday after three hard fought matches at the divisional tournament in Ronan.

The Valkyries fell to Florence in their first game Thursday morning in three sets.

“They are a great coached team, they stayed focused and had a good routine,” head coach Melody Strauss said. She said they knew going in it was going to be a tough match, and the Vals needed to be aggressive, consistent and on top of their game, something they struggled with at the district tournament. And though they were unable to win, Strauss was pleased to see the girls play as well as they did. 

“We played against them much better than we did earlier in the season,” Strauss said. “We had a loss but there wasn’t a lot of disappointment.”

Bigfork faced Mission next in a loser-out match Friday morning, which they won in three. 

“We played like we had a chance,” Strauss said. “There wasn’t anything holding us back.”

The win boosted the Vals and they went into their next matchup against Thompson Falls with a lot of excitement, Strauss said. 

The Valkyries hadn’t been able to beat Thompson Falls in the regular season, but hoped they could repeat the previous season where they beat them in the postseason. Strauss said they knew they would have to be aggressive and make few mistakes to best Thompson Falls.

“They are a team that will swing away and make you work hard,” she said. “Unfortunately we lost in that.”

Bigfork took the first set 25-22, but were unable to make it happen again and lost in four.

Strauss was pleased to see the Vals end the season playing as strong as they had started. They finished the regular season with a better record than the previous year.

“It’s really a program that’s building,” she said. “It’s just going to continue to get stronger. Overall I think we had some ups and downs. The season really was great. I had a wonderful time and I think the girls did too. Win or lose the girls’ spirits were high and they continued to go after their goals.”

Thompson Falls def. Bigfork

22-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-11

Kills – Bigfork 31 (Lana Berg 9), T. Falls 46 (Autrey Hannum 10). Blocks – Bigfork 5 (Berg 2, Miranda Campbell 2), T. Falls 8 (Shey Hannum 4). Digs – Bigfork 53 (Abbie Fraley 16), T. Falls 66 (Sierra Sorlie 20). Assists – Bigfork 23 (Kalia Wicklund 22), T. Falls 42 (Logan Beckman 40). Aces – Bigfork 5 (Marissa Hiza 2), T. Falls 10 (Beckman).

Bigfork def. St. Ignatius

25-21, 25-22, 25-12

Kills — Bigfork 24 (Marissa Hiza 7, Lana Berg 6, Miranda Campbell 6), St. Ignatius 19 (Lindsay Johnson 8); Blocks — Bigfork 3 (Berg 2), St. Ignatius 2; Assists — Bigfork 17 (Kalia Wicklund 16), St. Ignatius 15 (Jordyn Eichert 15); Digs — Bigfork 83 (Abbie Fraley 12), St. Ignatius 58 (Sydney Castor 15); Aces — Bigfork 16 (Fraley 8), St. Ignatius 9 (Shania Dubois 3).

Florence def. Bigfork 3-0

25-10, 25-22, 25-23

Kills — Bigfork 20 (Marissa Hiza 6, Abbie Fraley 5, Miranda Campbell 5) Florence 36 (Sabrina Hopcroft 16); Blocks — Bigfork 8 (Lana Berg 4), Florence 3 (Megan Kowalski 3); Assists — Bigfork 16 (Kalia Wicklund 16), Florence NA; Digs — Bigfork 31 (Riley Coleman 6, Hiza 6), Florence 60 (Kristyne Drozdz 23); Aces — Bigfork 4 (Berg 2), Florence 7 (Hopcroft 3).