The Lady Hawks’ only wish is that they had more volleyball to play.

The Thompson Falls Lady Hawks completed the 2025 season at the Western B divisional tournament in Mission last week. Coach Sandra Kazmierczak and her Lady Hawks opened the Western B with a 25-23, 21-25, 25-19, 25-14 loss to Anaconda in the first round Friday, came back to defeat Plains 27-25, 25-20, 25-22 in loser out action later Friday, upended Eureka 18-25, 25-16, 25-23, 23-25, 16-14 in another loser out match Saturday morning, and then finally, fell 25-18, 25-16, 25-19 to Anaconda in the loser takes fourth place match Saturday afternoon.

Florence won the Western B title, Anaconda battled back to win second place, Loyola took third and the Lady Hawks fourth. Florence and Anaconda move on to the Class B portion of the Montana All-Class tournament in Bozeman this week.

Kazmierczak was very pleased with her latest team of Lady Hawks, which once again proved to be the best net squad from the western part of the Western B in the end with the loser-out win over Eureka, the regular season 7B champs.

“This is just such a cool team to coach, I wish we had another week of practice together,” she said. "I am so proud of them, they are an awesome group of kids. They just have so much positive energy, I am really going to miss being around that every day.”

The ones Kazmierczak will miss the most are seniors Gabi Hannum, Addi Pardee, Annalise Fairbank and Emma Claridge. Junior Addy Deal, sophomores Cora Anderson and Veronica Vega, freshmen Audrey Fairbank and Marley Robinson should return to form the core of next year’s team.

The Hawks battled gamely in each match in Mission, beginning Friday morning in the first encounter with Anaconda.

Hannum was her usually productive self in leading the Hawks, hitting 13 kills, 13 set assists, 11 digs and two stuff blocks, Deal clubbed nine kills, hit 13 assists, blocked three shots and ripped two aces, Pardee put down seven kills and hits 11 digs, Annalise Fairbank added three kills and two blocks, Audrey Fairbank seven digs and Anderson two blocks.

In the win over Plains, Hannum hit 10 kills, eight assists and two blocks, Deal five kills, 10 assists, four blocks and three aces, Pardee 10 digs, three Ks and two blocks, Audrey Fairbank six digs and two aces, Annalise Fairbank four kills, Claridge a kill and Anderson two more blocks.

In the epic five-set win over Eureka, Hannum, Deal and Pardee all hit 12 kills apiece, Gabi also had 20 set assists, three stuff blocks and three aces, Addy 11 digs, 11 assists and six blocks and Addi 11 digs and three aces.

Audrey Fairbank added eight digs and two aces, Annalise Fairbank six kills and a block, Anderson two blocks, Claridge two service aces and Robinson one.

In the season-ending loss to Anaconda, Hannum hit eight kills, four digs, seven assists, a block and an ace, Deal four kills, four digs, nine assists and a block, Pardee six kills and nine digs, Audrey Fairbank four digs and two aces, Claridge three digs and Annalise Fairbank three kills.

Kazmierczak reiterated how much she will miss this year’s seniors and underclassmen. “They were just so much fun to be around, so patient with the younger kids,” she said. “We are really going to miss them.”

    AT THE NET - Falls junior Addy Deal makes a play in Western B volleyball action versus Anaconda at Mission Friday. (John Hamilton/vp-mi)
  

    SHOWING HANDS – Lady Hawks Emma Claridge and Addy Deal challenge a shot by the Anaconda Copperheads during first round action at the Western B divisional tournament in Mission Friday. (John Hamilton/vp-mi)