Firing on all cylinders
Surging Lady Pirates sweep pair of opponents
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POLSON — The Lady Pirates seem to be finding the right combination on the court lately as they have picked up back-to-back sweeps in their last two matches.
A squad that head coach Jan Toth had previously described as a 3-1 team turned into a three-and-done team this week as they blew past Frenchtown at home Tuesday before sweeping visiting Columbia Falls Thursday.
“We just seem to have kicked something into high gear lately,” Toth said. “The girls all know how to play the game. We like to go into a match and bring an up-tempo style. We like to go in and cause trouble for the other team and that’s what we have been doing.”
The fast-paced attack of the Lady Pirates has been wreaking havoc on opposing teams of late as Polson has not won a game by less that four points in the last two matches.
The Lady Pirates had little trouble picking up a win at home Thursday, downing the visiting Wildkats 25-17, 25-21, 25-19.
Polson’s big hitters, Breanne Kelley, Sallie Sams and Riley Kenney, combined to record 39 of the team’s 42 kills in the win. Kelley led the way with 18 while Sams added 11 and Kenney had 10.
“Columbia Falls played well. They were scrappy, and they really wanted to beat us,” Toth said. “There were some flashes of brilliance for sure from us. There were plays where the passes were perfect and we were able to run several of our different attacks, but we can still play better.”
Game three belonged to the Lady Pirates as the relentless hitting attack from Kelley on the left side of the net was just too much for the Wildkat defense to handle in a 25-19 victory.
Polson’s serving game led to several quick points in the win, despite a fairly low serving percentage of just 88 percent, as the Lady Pirates recorded 16 aces in the victory. Kelley and Kenney led the service attack with five aces each while Kayla Duford added four.
Kendyll Rochin and Kelley led the defense in the win. Rochin finished with 11 digs and Kelley added 10. Ashley Johnson, Sams and Kenney also picked up one block each in the win.
Polson’s quick-attack offense made short work of visiting Frenchtown in a nonconference matchup Tuesday as the Lady Pirates picked up a 25-15, 25-19, 25-13 win.
A balanced attack was too much for the Lady Broncs to handle as Kelley and Kenney led the way with eight kills each while Sams added seven. Polson’s serving attack also took it’s toll on Frenchtown as Rochin recorded eight of the Lady Pirates’ 14 aces in the victory.
While the Lady Pirate offense put on a show in the win, the Polson defense also had an excellent game, finishing with 64 digs and 10 blocks. Shay Duford led the way in digs with 16 while Kayla Duford added 15 and Kenney added 11. Kelley and Kenney led in blocks with three each while Sams had two and Kayla Duford and Heidi Rausch each added one.
Kayla Duford also finished with 18 of the team’s 19 assists in the win.
Despite the big wins, Toth says her team still has some work to do.
“We still are not playing our best. It is still not quite the volleyball I want to see yet, but we are getting closer,” Toth said. “It’s very hard to keep an up-tempo pace going when the balls aren’t coming back over the net.”
Summary
Polson def. Columbia Falls 25-17, 25-21, 25-19
Kills - Polson 42 (Breanne Kelley 18). Blocks - Polson 3 (Sallie Sams, Ashley Johnson, Riley Kenney). Digs - Polson 40 (Kendyall Rochin 11). Assists - Polson 27 (Kayla Duford 25). Aces - Polson 16 (Kelley 5, Kenney 5).
Polson def. Frenchtown 25-15, 25-19, 25-13
Kills - Polson 26 (Kenney 8, Kelley 8). Blocks - Polson 10 (Kelley 3, Kenney 3). Digs - Polson 64 (Shalaina Duford 16). Assists - Polson 19 (Kayla Duford 18). Aces - Polson 14 (Rochin 8).
