The Libby High School volleyball team not only qualified for the state tournament over the weekend at the Northwestern A Divisionals, but the Lady Loggers knocked off Polson for the tournament title.

The top two teams in the conference battled through a pair of marathon championship matches at Ralph Tate Gymnasium on Saturday. In the end, the Lady Loggers had taken a 26-24, 10-25, 25-22, 26-24 victory for the right to hoist the first-place championship trophy over their heads.

The road to the conference title was not easy. Libby had the Pirates on the ropes in the first championship match but saw it slip away late. Polson pulled out that win, 18-25, 25-19, 16-25, 25-20, 16-14. Since it was Libby’s first loss in the double-elimination tourney, a second championship match was necessary.

In the fourth game of the second match, Libby eeked out the victory after facing game point in a 24-23 situation. Jackie Mee scored on a dink to tie the game, and then the Logger senior scored on a kill for a 25-24 advantage. On the final point, Logan Best served and Alysha Martin had the final hit that Polson could not handle. A wild celebration that lasted several minutes followed.

Libby lost to Polson twice during the regular season, including a sweep on its own floor. In the tourney semifinals on Friday, Libby posted a 21-25, 26-24, 26-24, 27-25 victory to advance directly to the finals. The Pirates finished the regular season in the Northwestern A unbeaten.

Both Libby and Polson advance to the state playoffs.

For a full feature on the tournament, see the Nov. 11 edition of The Western News or check back here online.