Lady Pirates drop two at state
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BOZEMAN – The Polson Lady Pirates volleyball team made it to the Class A state volleyball tournament at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman on Friday after a hard fought season. In a consolation bracket, the Lady Pirates ended the season with a loss to Hardin 3-0.
“Polson has not gone to the state tournament since 2011,” said Lady Pirate head coach Lizzy Cox. “So, taking a group of girls who have never experienced it was really special.”
On Thursday, the Lady Pirates opened tournament action against the Billings Central Lady Bulldogs, falling in straight sets 25-13, 25-19, 25-15. Ara Mercer had 15 digs in the game. Maggie Todd tallied 12 of the Lady Pirates total 28 kills, and Lena Pawlowski chipped in with 14 assists.
In Friday morning’s matchup against Hardin, Mercer had a match-high 24 digs, but the Lady Pirates were unable to stifle a stiff Lady Bulldogs attack in a 25-13, 26-24, 25-22 loss in the loser-out bracket of the tournament. Grace Quinones led the Lady Pirates with 11 kills and added 11 digs, while Todd had 10 kills, 22 digs and four aces.
“The 2019 season was a great one,” said coach Cox after the tournament. “I asked a lot of the girls and every day they came to the gym ready to work and get better. The freshman and JV teams had a great season as well. A ton of improvement was seen all around.”
Cox said the highlights of the season were the state tournament appearance and the five-set divisional win over Dillon as well as the Stevensville win that sent the Lady Pirates to the state tourney.
“I am really grateful for the opportunity to coach here in Polson,” said Cox, who also explained that she is looking forward to the chance of continuing to build the program into a state title contender in the next season.
