Lady Pirates advance to State tourney
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WHITEFISH – The Polson Lady Pirate volleyball team is heading to the Class A State Championship Tournament in Bozeman this week after a stellar performance at the Northwest A Divisional Tournament in Whitefish last weekend. Polson downed Whitefish in the championship game 3-1, but to get to that point, the Pirates also beat up-and-coming Columbia Falls after a first round bye and beat Whitefish for the first time in the game of unbeaten teams on Friday.
Against Columbia Falls, the Pirates came out strong, winning 3-1 in a 25-22, 25-16, 20-25, 25-15 rout. Riley Kenney led the Pirates with an impressive 12 kills and 15 digs, while Shalaina Duford added 30 assists. Heidi Rausch contributed four aces, and Kenzie Clay dished out a pair of blocks.
“I knew it would be a battle early on with Columbia Falls,” head coach Jan Toth said. “Columbia Falls upped their tempo, and was a dark horse that surprised a lot of teams. They played a great match and put up big blocks against us, so we had to quicken our offense up.”
With the win, Polson met Whitefish later that day in the unbeaten teams’ match. During practice earlier in the week, Toth told her girls that they eventually would see Whitefish at the tournament if they played well.
“We knew we’d see them,” Toth said. “We knew we had to win to go to State, and the girls wanted to do it in one (game), and not do it the hard way. My girls thrive in that atmosphere.”
Whitefish raced out to an opening set win of 25-15 over Polson, but Toth remained confident in her team’s ability to rise above the competition.
“I told them, ‘It’s not over: we need to shake it up,’” Toth said. “The game was tight; we earned everything we got.”
Polson was led by Rausch, who earned 12 kills and five blocks, while Duford added 25 of Polson’s 86 digs. Ashley Johnson contributed three aces for the Lady Pirates.
The win guaranteed Polson a spot at State, but to get the No. 1 seed, they had to beat Whitefish a second time during Saturday’s championship game.
During the championship game, Duford helped Polson secure the No. 1 seed as the Lady Pirates won in 25-18, 23-25, 25-17, 25-23. Duford had 41 assists and four aces, while teammate Johnson floored 13 kills. Mackenzie Banner added 31 assists, while Kenzie Clay added three blocks.
“My girls were determined,” Toth said. “Up front nothing got through, and if it did, our defense would pick it up. We had 99 digs in the Championship, which Whitefish didn’t like at all.”
With the No. 1 seed secured, Polson heads to Bozeman to the State A Championship Tournament at Brick Breeden Field House. To prepare, Toth says her team needs to work on the mental aspect of the game and speed up their offense and passing.
“I think we’re going to match up well with Belgrade, but all teams at State are championship-quality teams,” she said. “It’s all about what my team can do.”
“This is our fourth showing, but a lot of the girls are new to State,” Toth added. “They will have to adjust to the synthetic court, which is less room, and the bounce of the floor is different.”
SUMMARY
Championship
Polson def. Whitefish, 25-18, 23-25, 25-17, 25-23.
Kills - Whitefish 44 (Abby Strellnauer 17), Polson 57 (Ashley Johnson 13). Blocks - Whitefish 3 (Taylor Havens, Baylee Tveidt, Emily Sullivan), Polson 9 (Kenzie Clay 3). Digs - Whitefish 47 (Ryan Chauner 8), Polson 99 (Mackenzie Banner 31). Assists - Whitefish 42 (Havens 39), Polson 45 (Shalaina Duford 41). Aces - Whitefish 7 (Tveidt 4), Polson 9 (Duford 4).
Undefeated match
Polson def. Whitefish 15-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-22.
Kills - Polson 37 (Heidi Rausch 12), Whitefish 35 (Emily Sullivan 15). Blocks - Polson 6 (Rausch 5), Whitefish 14 (Baylee Tveidt 5. Digs - Polson 86 (Shalaina Duford 27), Whitefish 32 (Kelsey McFadden 10). Assists - Polson 35 (Duford 30), Whitefish 34 (Taylor Havens 28). Aces - Polson 8 (Ashley Johnson 3), Whitefish 6 (McFadden 2).
Second round
Polson def. Columbia Falls, 25-22, 25-16, 20-25, 25-15.
Kills - Polson 43 (Riley Kenney 12), Columbia Falls 29 (Haley Belgarde 8). Blocks - Polson 4 (Kenzie Clay 2), Columbia Falls 7 (unavailable). Digs - Polson 64 (Kenney 15), Columbia Falls 83 (unavailable). Assists - Polson 31 (Shalaina Duford 30), Columbia Falls 21 (Hope Burlage 14). Aces - Polson 11 (Heidi Rausch 4), Columbia Falls 5 (Erika Nelson 3).
