Lady Vikings eyeing big season
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CHARLO — After last year’s Conference and District titles, the Lady Vikings have some mighty shoes to fill but are on pace to glory on their own terms. With a new coach and core group of seniors, Charlo is getting it done on the court, pacing a victorious season record and keeping their sights on postseason play.
Head coach Kaylee Larson may be new to the Lady Viking club, but she’s not new to the area. A Ronan high school graduate, Larson was head coach at Chinook for two years while attending college in Havre before coming to Charlo. Larson is excited for her new team and said she is ready to take on the task of helming the Lady Vikings to victory.
Stating the team is riding on the same expectations as last year, Larson said the overall goal is to advance further in State play, and it’s showing on the court with an 8-3 record and strong performance coming from the bench.
Of the five seniors leading the Lady Vikings, Sienna Brown is showing promise of leadership both on and off the court, and according to Larson, Brown is “definitely a force.”
“She has a strong presence on the court and with the team at practice every day,” Larson said.
Along with Brown, Charlo’s seniors include Madison Foust, Shayna Nagy, Lindsey Tyron and Courtney Vaughan. All have shown dominance during game play by putting impressive stats in book.
This last week of play could almost be called a “test,” according to Larson, as they took on tough conference foes Arlee. They also competed at the Mineral County Shootout tournament, which included class C teams from districts nine and 10 that pose a threat come postseason.
On Tuesday, the Lady Vikings hosted the Scarlets in a battle of all battles with the Lady Vikings falling 2-3 in the tight five-set match.
“We had a really, really good game with Arlee,” Larson said. “That was fun and we’re excited to play them again. It was a good game from both sides.”
In the back and forth match, Brown led at the net with 14 kills adding two aces for her team. Brooke Doty came up with a knee bruising 26 digs and Foust helped out with 16 assists and three aces.
At the Mineral County Shootout tournament hosted by three teams — Alberton, St. Regis and Superior — the Lady Vikings placed third among the 15 teams that competed.
Coming out of pool play in first with a 9-3 game record, the Lady Vikings faced Valley Christian in the semifinals but fell to the consolation after the tough 1-2 game. Valley Christian went on to win the tournament.
In the consolation game the Lady Vikings reset their stance to overcome Seeley-Swan, 2-1 ending their tournament play with a bronze.
Overall, Larson is pleased with the advancement of the Lady Vikings court play and work ethic and is looking forward to more victories before heading to postseason.
“They’ve been working really hard at practice and it’s been showing on the court,” Larson said. “I’m really proud of them.”
The Lady Vikings hope to continue their glory on the road facing class B Mission Oct. 4. They’ll return to host St. Regis Oct. 7.
Results
Arlee def. Charlo 23-25, 25-23, 25-21, 13-25, 13-25
Valley Christian def. Charlo 25-20, 19-25, 15-5
Charlo def. Seeley Swan 25-11, 19-25, 15-5
