Lady Pirates clinch second straight conference championship and

fourth straight trip to state tournament

WHITEFISH - Perhaps no one knows just how tough it is to play volleyball in Whitefish's gym more than Polson head coach Jan Toth.

After all, she has something to do with one state championship banner hanging from the rafters as a player for the Lady Bulldogs.

But even the mystique of the gym couldn't stop the Lady Pirates. They overcame the boisterous Whitefish crowd and an unrelenting Lady Bulldog team in the Northwestern A tournament last weekend with tenacious defense and spectacular depth. Their two wins over Whitefish won them the divisional crown and a No. 1 seed heading into the Class A state tournament this weekend in Bozeman.

"To play in this gym, to play Whitefish and to win twice says a lot about our program," Toth said after her team picked up its championship game win over the Lady Bulldogs. "My girls like playing in this gym, our team thrives on this."

Polson has now gone to state for volleyball four straight times, and have won the past two Northwestern A divisional championships.

More than just another trophy in the case - there are a lot of them as Polson has swept all three of the divisional titles this fall in girl's sports - Toth's team found their identity as a tough nosed team that doesn't get rattled and continued the great legacy of Lady Pirates volleyball even after they lost a bevy of talented seniors from last year's team to graduation.

"They're just gamers," Toth said. "I don't think that there was a lot of people that expected a lot from us this season after we lost some great players last year."

From the beginning of the season to the end of the divisional tournament, the Lady Pirates have consistently improved while showing incredible depth on the squad. Toth said on any given day it can be someone different leading in kills and digs. Other teams just don't know where the Lady Pirates' attack will come from.

"That's the beauty of this team," Toth said.

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH - POLSON 3, WHITEFISH 1

Saturday night, with the Northwestern A championship on the line, sophomore Jessica Hoel stepped up to the net in a big way. She came off the bench and provided insta-offense for the Lady Pirates, collecting 12 kills and helping Polson to a 3-1 victory over Whitefish.

"She was awesome," Toth said. "I've been waiting for her competitiveness to come out and it came out here."

In the first game, Polson trailed 11-7 to Whitefish, before going on a 7-0 run and never relented en route to a 25-18 victory.

The Lady Bulldogs would win the second game but it would be anything but easy. After they broke open a 16-9 lead, Polson would go on an 8-2 spurt to pull within one point at 18-17. Both teams would tie at times through the remainder of the game, but Whitefish scored the final two points to win 25-23. In the third game, Polson and Whitefish were tied 11-11 before the Lady Pirates went on an 8-1 run and ended up winning 25-17.

Polson won the fourth game, but it was another back-and-fourth affair with six ties. However, the Lady Pirates pulled out the 25-23 victory.

Defensively, Polson again had several playmakers and Mackenzie Banner notched 31 digs and Shalaina Duford had 22. They weren't the only ones making plays though, as the Lady Pirates outdug Whitefish 99-47.

Duford had an impressive 41 assists and four aces. Senior Ashley Johnson was a deadly force, collecting 13 kills to lead the team, she also rocketed two aces in the match.

UNDEFEATED GAME - POLSON 3, WHITEFISH 1

Whitefish came out strong and dominated the first set against Polson, but the Lady Pirates looked anything but rattled in the next three games en route to a 3-1 undefeated match victory.

The opening set saw Polson leading 14-10 before the Lady Bulldogs went on a 15-1 run to pull out the 25-15 victory. Whitefish appeared to carry over momentum into the second game when they led 3-0 out of the chute.

However, both teams battled to an 11-11 tie before Polson went on a 13-2 run to lead 24-13. While the Lady Bulldogs would press and make a surge of their own, the Lady Pirates still prevailed 25-19.

In the third game, Polson was able to open up an 18-13 lead and cruised to the 25-20 victory. That set up the decisive fourth game, which was anything but in hand. Both squads found themselves tied 18-18, but the Lady Pirates were able to surge to the 25-22 victory.

In that game, junior Heidi Rausch looked like the bad guy in the movie "Predator" getting kill after kill after kill. Her stat line was impressive as she collected five blocks, 12 kills and two aces. Rausch had a .350 hitting percentage as well, but those numbers don't quite capture just what a force she was against Whitefish.

"She's an animal," Toth said. "I just know the personnel on the other side are on their toes when they're across from her."

Polson also got great offensive production from Johnson and Tina "the Terminator" Marquardt, who each had seven kills. Duford added 30 assists and 27 digs. Senior Riley Kenney was solid defensively with 15 digs.

POLSON 3, COLUMBIA FALLS 1

Columbia Falls gave Polson a spirited fight, but the Wildkats couldn't overcome the regular season Northwestern A champion in second round action. Senior Riley Kenney led Polson with 12 kills and the Lady Pirates were deadly from the service stripe, collecting 11 service aces. And surprise, surprise, it was Heidi Rausch who had four of them. She finished the tournament with 30 kills and seven blocks altogether.

Polson won 25-22 in the first game, and then the second game in a dominating 25-16 fashion. Columbia Falls would battle back and win the third game, 25-20, but the Pirates would finish the thing off handily with a 25-15 game for the match win.

Duford was again stellar running the offense with 33 assists, while Kenney had 22 digs. Kenzie "Can't Touch This" Clay led with two blocks and had six total in the tournament.

ENTERING THE STATE TOURNAMENT

Polson is coming into the state tournament not just playing some great volleyball, but also showing the ability to have different players have their best games at different times. That kind of depth will come in very handy in Bozeman this weekend.

"We need it," Toth said. "We're one of the teams that don't play club ball year round."

But one thing Polson has are some tremendous competitors. While they don't play club ball, they've certainly learned what it takes to be champions after winning two straight state titles in softball. Many of the same players are also on the volleyball roster.

"For us to be able to beat those club teams we're going to have to have our hearts in it every game," Toth said.

With assistant coach Adrienna DeCock new to the staff this year, the Lady Pirates have shown tremendous defensive prowess. With the Banner sisters roaming the back court, along with Riley Kenney and Shalaina Duford, it's like the Baltimore Ravens on a volleyball court. In order for other teams at state to have success against Polson, they'll have to find a way to crack the code.

But they might not have time to as Heidi Rausch is Dwight Howard around the volleyball net, Ashley Johnson has more kills than a WWII ace and Kenney is a surgeon when going against an opposing defense. Duford has also displayed tremendous leadership, a knack for getting kills from the setter position and tenacity on the court.

Perhaps Polson's biggest asset going into this tournament is their focus. The team was unflappable at the divisional tournament and didn't seem to back down from any situation or challenge.

"I have so many great girls," Toth said. "They're tremendous in the classroom, they get along so well and they have great character."

Polson will take on the South's second seed at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Montana State University's Campus in Bozeman.

For more updates on the Lady Pirates' state tournament run check out www.leaderadvertiser.com and onthebleachers.blogspot.com