Polson wins pair Thursday, falls to Dillon in 5 Saturday
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POLSON — The Lady Pirates found themselves in quite a battle at home Saturday as Dillon rallied from a 2-1 deficit to down Polson in five games, 25-16, 13-25, 21-25, 25-20, 15-12.
Playing without Riley Kenney (shoulder injury) for the third straight match, the Lady Pirates adjusted well without her but came up just short.
“It was probably the best match we have played all year,” Polson coach Jan Toth said. “If you look at it on paper, we really should have won. We just had some missed serves when we really needed them. It’s something we can learn from.”
It was the third time the two teams have met this season, and the first since Polson defeated the Blue Devils in the finals of the Tip-off Volleyball Tournament in Columbia Falls in September. According to Toth, Sams dominated the championship game in Columbia Falls, but it was a different story Saturday.
“Dillon came in determined to shut down Sallie,” Toth said. “She killed them in that tournament at Columbia Falls and they were not going to let that happen again. They are a very smart team.”
With the Dillon defense zoned in on Sams, Breanne Kelly stepped up with 22 kills to lead Polson in the match while Kenzie Clay and Ashley Johnson each added 11.
Dillon opened the match with a convincing 25-16 win in game one, but the Lady Pirates bounced back with an equally impressive 25-13 win in game two.
Polson took a 2-1 lead with a 25-21 win in game three but Dillon rallied to send the match to a fifth game after taking game four, 25-20.
The serving problems that have plagued the Lady Pirates all season continued in the fifth game as Dillon took advantage to grab the win.
Toth said that, for a team playing its third match in three days without one if its top players, the performance was quite impressive.
“It really wasn’t anyone’s fault. We were just so tired,” she said. Everyone really stepped up with Riley out. We had to make some major adjustments and Ashley and Kenzie really took their games to the next level. If everyone plays like they did against Dillon, we should be fine through divisionals. “
Kayla Duford finished with 20 digs and 44 assists to lead the Lady Pirates in both categories while Clay and Sams each finished with three blocks.
The team played its first two matches without Kenney Thursday as they played at Corvallis and Hamilton.
Kenney, who is still nursing a shoulder injury sustained during softball season, wanted to continue playing but Toth was forced to make the tough decision to sit her out.
“I just had to tell her ‘no more’ at some point,” Toth said. “She’s a super tough kid and she wanted to play through the pain. I had to tell her that some things are more important than high school volleyball.”
Toth said Kenney will continue to sit through divisionals but will be available should Polson advance to state.
The Lady Pirates were a little shaky against Corvallis Thursday but were able to pull out a four-game win, 25-22, 25-23, 19-25, 25-18.
Sams had 18 kills to lead Polson while Kelley added 13. Sams also led in blocks with four, Duford added 16 digs and 36 assists and Kelley led in aces with three.
Polson had no troubles in the second game of the day as they crushed Hamilton in three games, 25-21, 25-15, 25-22.
Kelley led in kills with 19 while Sams added 13 kills and two blocks. Kendyall Rochin led in digs with 14 while Duford added 12. Duford also handed out 30 assists and Kelley added a pair of aces.
The Lady Pirates play at Columbia Falls Thursday before closing out the regular season at home against Ronan Friday.
Summary
Dillon def. Polson
25-16, 13-25, 21-25, 25-20, 15-12
Kills - Polson 63 (Breanne Kelley 22), Dillon 46 (Faith Keck 15). Blocks - Polson 9 (Kenzie Clay 3, Sallie Sams 3), Dillon 12 (Keck 4). Digs - Polson 79 (Kayla Duford 20), Dillon 71 (Annie Ori 20). Assists - Polson 47 (Duford 44), Dillon 41 (Kate Ferris 40). Aces - Polson 6 (Ashley Johnson 2, Duford 2), Dillon 11 (Ferris 3).
Polson def. Hamilton
25-21, 25-15, 25-22
Kills - Polson 44 (Breanne Kelley 19), Hamilton 21 (mary Conwell 13). Blocks - Polson 5 (Sallie Sams 2), Hamilton 4 (four with 1). Digs - Polson 53 (Kendyall Rochin 14), Hamilton 40 (Kennedy Chadwick 9). Assists - Polson 31 (Duford 30), Hamilton 21 (Conwell 8). Aces - Polson 10 (Kelley 2), Hamilton 1 (Presley Chadwick).
Polson def. Corvallis
25-22, 25-23, 19-25, 25-18
Kills - Polson 42 (Sallie Sams 18), Corvallis 33 (Alex Ewing 10, Whitney Jessop 10). Blocks - Polson 8 (Sams 4), Corvallis 9 (Brooke Heckeroth 4, Jessop 4). Digs - Polson 54 (Kayla Duford 16), Corvallis 57 (Laren Phinney 17). Assists - Polson 37 (Duford 36), Corvallis 25 (Phinney 19). Aces - Polson 11 (Breanne Kelley 3), Corvallis 11 (Lauren Berner 5).
