Mission goes four games against old district foe Bigfork, then

battles Loyola Sacred Heart in five games over the weekend

ST. IGNATIUS - The Mission Lady Bulldogs have had a slew of high-pressure, razor-thin margin games this year and last week was no exception. Mission fell to Bigfork last Thursday 3-1 in a match that could have gone either way. Then they played a five-game marathon against Loyola Scared Heart last Saturday, losing 3-2.

Mission's first match of the week came against their old district rival, Bigfork.

Since both teams had plenty of playing experience against one another it didn't disappoint with the Lady Vikes taking the first game in a heart-stopper, 25-23. Mission won the next game, 26-24, but Bigfork would finish the Lady Bulldogs off with 25-18 and 25-21 wins.

"I thought that we played well individually but we were still having a difficult time coming together as a team," Mission head coach Kendal Anderson said. "There is a lot of talent on this team and if we can come together we will see more success in the future."

Despite 11 kills from Jenn Larsson, 15 digs from Sydney Allard and 15 assists by Loren Erickson, the Lady Bulldogs just couldn't quite overcome Bigfork.

For Mission's Saturday matchup against Loyola Sacred Heart, Anderson changed the rotation and the Lady Bulldogs immediately reaped the rewards from that. Against the Breakers, Mission gained a 2-1 game advantage after posting 23-25, 25-18, 25-20 scores.

"We really played well, talked on the court, and most importantly, the girls were having fun again," Anderson said. "That's the most important thing to remember. We are so caught up in our wins and losses we are forgetting to come back to the fundamentals of the sport and have fun."

Loyola Sacred Heart would come back though, and win the fourth game 25-10, then took the fifth game 15-10. Larsson led the Lady Bulldogs with six kills and two blocks.

Stephanie Lewandowski anchored the defense for Mission with 19 digs.

Mission is now 2-5 on the season and has a heavy next two weeks on their schedule. The Lady Bulldogs will play two games this week and then three next week. Luckily, the majority of those are home games.

"I like this because it keeps us more focused in practices as we will spend each practice gearing up for the game the next day," Anderson said. "Bring on the volleyball."