Flathead spikers 4th at Great Falls
GREAT FALLS — The Flathead volleyball team bounced back from a first-round defeat to make a run to the third-place consolation match in the championship bracket of the Electric City Invitational at Great Falls C.M. Russell on Saturday.
The Braves, which fell to Billings Senior 25-16, 25-19 in the opening round, rebounded to down Great Falls and Glacier in the losers’ bracket before losing to Helena Capital in the third-place game.
Glacier defeated Bozeman 25-20, 25-16 in the first round but fell into the loser’s bracket with a 25-23, 25-20 loss to Missoula Sentinel in the winners’ bracket semifinals. Flathead then eliminated the Wolfpack in a 25-18, 26-24 decision.
Senior topped Sentinel 25-13, 25-20 in the championship match to win the Electric City Invitational.
Flathead will get another shot at Capital on Friday in Helena. Glacier returns to action Friday against Helena High.
Electric City Invitational
Championship bracket at CMR
Double-elimination
First round
Missoula Sentinel def. Helena 25-14, 25-22
Glacier def. Bozeman 25-20, 25-16
Billings Senior def. Flathead 25-16, 25-19
Helena Capital def. Great Falls 25-16, 25-11
Semifinals
Missoula Sentinel def. Glacier 25-23, 25-20
Billings Senior def. Helena Capital 26-24, 25-17
Loser’s bracket
Second round
Bozeman def. Helena 25-14, 25-19
Flathead def. Great Falls 25-17, 25-16
Loser’s bracket
Semifinals
Helena Capital def. Bozeman 25-18, 25-19
Flathead def. Glacier 25-18, 26-24
Third place
Helena Capital def. Flathead 25-19, 25-23
Championship
Billings Senior def. Missoula Sentinel 25-13, 25-20
Statistics
Billings Senior def. Flathead 25-16, 25-19
Flathead —± Kills 10 (Abbi Chavez 4), Blocks 4 (Bailey Nunn 2), Digs 25 (Sierra Wilhelm 9), Assists 10 (Nunn 8), Aces 5 (Julia Burden 2, Chavez 2).
Billings Senior — Stats not available
Flathead def. Great Falls 25-17, 25-16
Flathead — Kills 13 (Madde Boles, Julia Burden 5), Blocks 9 (Hannah O’Dell, Burden 4), Digs 27 (Sierra Wilhelm 10), Assists 11 (Bailey Nunn 11), Aces 7 (Wilhelm 3).
Great Falls — Stats not available
Flathead def. Glacier 25-18, 26-24
Flathead — Kills 17 (Madde Boles 7), Blocks 10 (Hannah O’Dell 3), Digs 33 (Sierra Wilhelm, Julia Burden 9), Assists 14 (Bailey Nunn 14), Aces 8 (Nunn, Burden 3).
Glacier — Stats not available
Helena Capital def. Flathead 25-19, 25-23
Flathead — Kills 21 (Julia Burden 6), Blocks 2 (Two with 1), Digs 27 (Sierra Wilhelm 8), Assists 17 (Bailey Nunn 16), Aces 3 (Burden 3).
Helena Capital — Stats not available
Libby 3, Polson 0
LIBBY — Brooklyn Rainer recorded 13 of Libby’s 34 kills as the Loggers dominated Polson 25-12, 25-17, 25-17 in a Class A conference matchup.
“Any time you beat a team in three sets, it’s a good win,” Libby coach Cindy Ostrem-Johnston said. “We need to work on staying focused and intense all the way through.”
Libby tallied 53 digs, 17 of which came from Jayden Winslow. Mehki Sykes led the Loggers with six blocks.
Libby will return to action Tuesday at Troy while Polson entertains Hamilton on Thursday.
Libby def. Polson 25-12, 25-17, 25-17
Kills — Polson 15 (Kaelyn Smith 8), Libby 34 (Brooklyn Rainer 13, Jessika Jones 7). Assists — Polson 14 (Laurel Bitterman 8), Libby 31 (Alli Collins 28). Blocks — Polson 4 (Smith 3), Libby 11 (Mehki Sykes 6). Digs — Polson 38 (Kyler Lundeen 10, Laurel Bitterman 9), Libby 53 (Jayden Winslow 17, Emma Gruber 11, Collins 11). Aces — Polson 3 (Three with 1), Libby 8 (Jones 3).
Stevensville 3,
Columbia Falls 2
COLUMBIA FALLS — Columbia Falls held an early lead but couldn’t hold on down the stretch, as Stevensville edged the Wildkats 25-19, 19-25, 23-25, 25-16, 15-12 in a five-set thriller.
Columbia Falls held a two-sets-to-one lead before the Yellowjackets stormed back to take the fourth set convincingly. Stevensville then won the fifth set 15-12.
“They played really well,” Columbia Falls coach Jolandie Brooks said of her team. “I’m really proud of them.”
Ryley Kehr led the Wildkats with 12 kills and four blocks.
Brooks said she expects her young team to continue to improve the more it plays together.
“Just working on the setter-hitter cohesiveness,” she said. “For us to be competing lke this, we’re doing awesome. Mentally, as you’re out there on the court more and more together, you become mentally stronger.”
Columbia Falls travels to Whitefish on Thursday.
Stevensville def. Columbia Falls 25-19, 19-25, 23-25, 25-16, 15-12
Columbia Falls — Kills 43 (Ryley Kehr 12), Blocks 10 (Kehr 4), Digs 72 (Angelica Street 15), Assists 31 (Hannah Schweikert 30), Aces 7 (Savvy Ellis 3).
Stevensville — Stats not available
Eureka 3, Saint Ignatius 0
SAINT IGNATIUS — Eureka didn’t start its match against Saint Ignatius particularly fast. It didn’t matter.
The Lions started rolling in the second set and carried their momentum through the remainder of the match, pounding the Bulldogs in three sets, 25-22, 25-15, 25-16.
“We just started to play clean volleyball, doing the things we do so well (after the first set),” Eureka coach Charli Chapman said. “Our serving was super aggressive, which changed the momentum of the sets.”
The aggressive serving was a high point for Eureka, which totaled 19 aces in the match.
Kassi Peterson led the way with eight aces.
“We have some really strong servers this year who have some pretty accurate jump serves,” Chapman said. “Definitely a good momentum changer when we were kind of in a rut in Game 1.”
Peterson also paced the Lions in kills with nine.
Eureka travels to Stillwater on Tuesday.
Eureka def. Saint Ignatius 25-22, 25-15, 25-16
Eureka — Kills 28 (Kassi Peterson 9), Blocks 2 (Bailey Bishop, Erynn Thier 1), Digs 68 (Rylee Morgan 16), Assists 24 (Liz Pacella 24), Aces 19 (Peterson 8).
Saint Ignatius — Stats not available