Playing with heart: Lady Pirates fall at State
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Although the Polson Lady Pirates volleyball team didn’t win the Class A State Tournament in Bozeman last weekend, head coach Jan Toth couldn’t be more proud of the heart and determination her girls showed throughout the tournament. As the smallest Class A team at State, the Lady Pirates were already at a big disadvantage, but Toth said her girls played like they were much taller.
“My tallest girl is 5 feet 8 inches, but they played like they were 6 feet (tall),” Toth said. “I really expressed to them not to hang their heads, because they played great.”
After losing a solid team of power players last year, Toth noted that she was impressed with how well her team performed this year.
“We proved to be the best in the state in terms of success,” she said. “I don’t measure success by wins or losses.”
Polson opened up tournament play on Thursday against Belgrade, where the Lady Pirates quickly picked up the first two sets, winning 25-19, 25-17. The Panthers didn’t lie down, however, winning the following three sets 25-20, 27-15, 15-11, and sending Polson to the losers bracket to play a hardnosed Hamilton team the following morning.
Polson was led by Kenzie Clay, who finished with eight kills and two aces for the Lady Pirates, while Riley Kenney added eight more kills.
“When we had to come back around to play one of the toughest teams; that wasn’t the road we wanted to go,” Toth said. “Hamilton is absolutely one of the toughest teams at the tournament.”
Against Hamilton, the Broncs won the first set 25-21, but the Lady Pirates held strong, winning the second set 26-24. Hamilton exploded offensively in the third game, winning 27-25 to take a 2-1 lead midway through the game.
“I told them, ‘This isn’t over; we have to win every point,’ and they did just that,” Toth said.
The Lady Pirates came back and won the fourth set 25-15, extending the game. In the final set, the Lady Pirates overcame a 10-5 deficit to win 15-12, pulling out a 3-2 win over the Broncs.
Shalaina Duford registered 33 digs and handed out 49 assists in the win, while Kenney had 15 kills. Teammate Ashley Johnson added another 14, and Clay chalked up 13 more for the Pirates. Mackenzie Banner and Macall Banner combined for 49 digs in the win.
“We put every amount of heart and emotion in that game,” Toth emphasized. “Had we not taken that road, I think the outcome (of the tournament) would’ve been different.”
With the win, Polson was in a tough situation, as the emotionally drained Lady Pirates faced a tough Billings Central team a few hours later that day.
Against Billings Central, the Lady Pirates lost the first set 25-20, but fought back to earn a 25-22 win in the second set. The Rams then won the following two sets 25-15, 25-15 to eliminate Polson from the tournament.
“Billings Central played tough and eventually took second,” Toth said. “My girls went out swinging, and I’m proud of them.”
Polson was led by Duford, who finished with 21 digs and 34 assists, while Ashley Johnson added 14 kills.
According to Toth, Macall Banner, Duford, and Rausch all had outstanding tournament performances.
The Lady Pirates ended their season with a 15-4 record, and will be returning Duford, Rausch, and Clay next season.
“We return three of our six starters next year, which is very exciting,” Toth said.
Kenney and Duford were awarded first team All-Conference and All-State, while Clay was awarded second team All-Conference, All-State.
Billings Central def. Polson, 25-20, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15.
Kills - BC 58 (Abbie Hanser 19), Polson 41 (Ashley Johnson 14). Blocks - BC 6 (Hanser 3), Polson 4. Digs - BC 145 (Justyn Juhl 32), Polson 96 (Shalaina Duford 21). Assists - BC 54 (Katie Cummins 49), Polson 41 (Duford 34). Aces - BC 7 (Cummins 3), Polson 4.
Belgrade def. Polson, 19-25, 17-25, 25-20, 27-25, 15-11.
Kills - Belgrade 51 (Jorden Porter 20), Polson 37 (Kenzie Clay 8, Riley Kenney 8). Blocks - Belgrade 9 (Porter 4), Polson 6 (Heidi Rausch 4). Digs - Belgrade 92 (Dylan Fowler 30), Polson 126 (Mackenzie Banner 28). Assists - Belgrade 44 (Tayler Jacobson 23), Polson 32 (Shalaina Duford 28). Aces - Belgrade 5 (Jacobson 4), Polson 5 (Clay 2).
Polson def. Hamilton, 21-25, 26-24, 25-27, 15-12
Kills - Polson 61 (Riley Kenney 15), Hamilton 50 (Rebecka Hood 17). Blocks - Polson 9 (Heidi Rausch 3), Hamilton 6 (Nichole Hood 4, Rhayn Ransier 4). Digs - Polson 135 (Shalaina Duford 33), Hamilton 104 (R. Hood 27). Assists - Polson 53 (Duford 49), Hamilton 48 (Mary Conwell 37). Aces - Polson 3 (three with one), Hamilton 7 (Colleen McGibben 2, Conwell 2).
