Maidens end strong season with 3rd-place conference finish
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COLUMBIA FALLS — The strongest Maiden volleyball season in years came to a close Saturday as Ronan fell to Whitefish to finish third at the Northwestern A Volleyball Tournament.
Ronan opened the tournament with a dramatic five-game win over Whitefish, but were swept by the Lady Bulldogs when they met again in the third-place game Saturday.
Ronan was unable to overcome 14 aces by the Bulldogs in Saturday’s match as Whitefish cruised to the win.
“That second time against Whitefish, we just didn’t have it,” Ronan head coach Naomi Mock said. “We wanted to go to state but a third-place finish is still great. It is a great building block for this program as we move forward.”
Alice Van Gunten led the Maidens with 10 kills and an ace in the loss while Marissa McCrea added 25 digs and Taylor Lynch had 12 assists.
Despite the loss, Mock said she is very happy with what her team was able to accomplish this year.
“It was still a great season for us,” she said. “I had the girls, especially the seniors, tell me that it was the best they could remember Ronan volleyball doing, and that means a lot.”
Ronan opened the tournament on a high note Friday as they downed Whitefish in five games, 25-16, 25-21, 17-25, 19-25, 15-7.
The Maidens recorded an astounding 42 kills and 113 digs in the win as Tailyr Irvine led the way with 21 kills and three blocks. McCrea anchored the defense with 29 digs while Lynch added 13 assists. Van Gunten led with three of the Maidens’ seven aces.
“Getting that first win to open the tournament was huge for us,” Mock said. “Whitefish is a very good team and it was a big deal for us to open with a win over them.”
Ronan came up short in their second match of the tournament Friday evening, falling to the eventual conference champion Polson Lady Pirates in three games, 25-22, 25-22, 25-17.
“We knew we were going to have to play tough against Polson, and we did. It just wasn’t quite enough to get the win,” Mock said. “We did play well though.”
Van Gunten led Ronan with nine kills in the loss while McCrea added 21 digs, Lynch had 15 assists, Irvine had a pair of aces and the Maidens’ only block of the contest.
While Mock said she is happy with the team’s finish this season, she is looking forward to even greater things down the road.
“We will be losing a lot of really good seniors, but the players we have coming up are very athletic and I will be expecting good things from them,” she said.
Summary
Whitefish def. Ronan
25-23, 25-20, 25-16
Kills - Ronan 26 (Alice Van Gunten 10), Whitefish 29. Blocks - Ronan 1, Whitefish 8. Digs - Ronan 90 (Marissa McCrea 25), Whitefish 85. Assists - Ronan 19 (Taylor Lynch 12), Whitefish 25. Aces - Ronan 3 (Tailyr Irvine, Van Gunten, McCrea), Whitefish 14.
Polson def. Ronan
25-22, 25-22, 25-17
Kills - Polson 42 (Breanne Kelley 18), Ronan 31 (Alice Van Gunten 9). Blocks - Polson 3 (Sallie Sams 2), Ronan 1 (Tailyr Irvine). Digs - Polson 54 (Kendyall Rochin 16), Ronan 56 (Marissa McCrea 21). Assists - Polson 35 (Kayla Duford 33), Ronan 23 (Taylor Lynch 15). Aces - Polson 12 (Ashley Johnson 5), Ronan 2 (Irvine 2).
Ronan def. Whitefish
25-16, 25-21, 17-25, 19-25, 15-7
Kills - Ronan 41 (Tailyr Irvine 21), Whitefish 42 (Madison Tveidt 16). Blocks - Ronan 12 (Irvine 3), Whitefish 8 (Olivia Nagler 2). Digs - Ronan 113 (Marissa McCrea 29), Whitefish 94 (Heather Bailey 23). Assists - Ronan 22 (Taylor Lynch 13), Whitefish 37 (Taylor Havens 33). Aces - Ronan 7 (Alice Van Gunten 3), Whitefish 10 (Lindsay Viscomi 10).
