The Valkyries battled their way to a third-place finish at the Western A Divisional Tournament in Corvallis this weekend, their ticket to the state tournament in Bozeman.  

Bigfork went into the bracket fourth in the Northwest. The tournament started out a little rocky facing the number one seed in the Southwest, Frenchtown, on Thursday and the Vals fell 3-1 in close sets; 15-25, 24-26, 25-21, 20-25.  

Friday was a big bounce back for Bigfork, starting with a hard-fought 3-1 win over Hamilton; 21-25, 25-20, 25-21, 26-24. 

The Vals went on to defeat the top team in the Northwest, Whitefish, and third in Northwest Columbia Falls; 3-0 for both matches. Against Columbia Falls, the Vals won 25-18, 25-23 and 25-17. Whitefish fell 25-19, 25-23, 25-21.  

In the semifinals on Saturday, the Vals circled back and faced Frenchtown again. Bigfork fell 3-0; 17-25, 22-25, 22-25; but has earned the chance to keep playing at the Montana A State Tournament.  

Freshman Maddie Corona led the Vals in kills with 69 for the divisional tournament. Piper Lee earned every match point with a kill. Setter Taylor Howlett led with 115 assists and 10 blocks. The Vals were tough on defense with 358 digs.  

“The stats are awesome, but for us to win against well-seasoned teams like Hamilton and Whitefish, every single girl had to play their best volleyball. And they did, all at once as a team, and that’s how we made it to state,” coach Ariel Putman said.  

The Vals will be at MSU Bozeman starting Thursday, Nov. 14 at 10 a.m., set to faceoff first against no. 2 in the East, Hardin.  

“We played Hardin in a mid-season tournament and lost in pool play 29-30.  I’m glad we did, because we have great film on them,” Putman noted. “I would anticipate a tough battle for the girls. Just like divisionals, if they want the win they’ll have to earn it. We have all the skills; it’s making sure we are mentally prepared to play tough volleyball.” 

Bigfork High School will have a sendoff for the Vals today, Wednesday, Nov. 13 at noon. 

Tickets for the state tournament are available online at www.brickbreeden.com or by phone at 406-994-2287. They will also be sold at the ticket office at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, where the tournament will be held through Saturday.