Carpenter, Krueger rule as Pack bounces back on Flathead
FRITZ NEIGHBOR | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 months, 2 weeks AGO
Glacier's Marlo Carpenter (24) goes to the net for a kill against Flathead at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Reagan Castillo (4) goes to the net for a kill against Glacier at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier's Allie Krueger (20) goes to the net for a kill against Flathead at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Makenna Aldrich (4) goes to the net for a kill against Glacier at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier's Madi Stevens (10) sets for a teammate against Flathead at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Anna Bain (9) passes to a teammate against Glacier at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier's Avaieh Thomas (4) goes to the net for a kill against Flathead at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Addison Thornberry (6) goes to the net for a kill against Glacier at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier's Chloe Farrell (21) goes to the net for a kill against Flathead at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier celebrates after a point against Flathead at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead celebrates after a point against Glacier at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Glacier's Grace Lingle (8) passes to a teammate against Flathead at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead's Cheyenne Heino (25) sets for a teammate against Glacier at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Flathead figured to keep some momentum Thursday, hosting Crosstown rival Glacier in a key Western AA volleyball match. The Wolfpack came in and took it away.
Behind 11 kills each from Marlo Carpenter and Allie Krueger, Glacier downed Flathead in four sets — 26-18, 25-13, 13-25, 25-17 — on the Bravettes’ home court, avenging a straight-sets loss to the Bravettes two weeks back at the Wolf Den.
After that the Pack went 1-3 at the Crossover Tournament — the Eastern AA remains a monster — and then beat Helena Capital and pushed the Western AA’s top team, Helena High, to five sets.
Carpenter, who ended Thursday’s match with her 11th kill, felt a shift not long after the first battle with Flathead.
“I think we had this moment at one of our crossover tournament,” Carpenter said. “We just kind of came together as a team, we were really starting to figure it out, work together, and have fun while we play. That’s probably the biggest difference, is just having fun.”
Aside from Glacier’s work at the net, a major problem for the Bravettes (5-16 overall, 4-6 in the Western AA) was serving. Class AA’s leader in aces had trouble getting rallies started.
“Momentum starts at the service line for sure,” said Flathead coach Emily Russell, who had seen her team practice and play well coming in.
“We passed great, served great. And then came game time, and we gave away a lot. I think it was seven serves in the first set and we lost by whatever (seven). It was a momentum killer for sure, and that didn’t give us the confidence to go on a run.”
Glacier (5-16, 3-7 in league) jumped ahead 9-5 in the first set while Flathead made three service errors; a block from Chloe Farrell put the Pack up 20-14 and back-to-back tip kills by Grace Lingle made it 22-16. An ace from Addison Malchi ended that set.
Two kills from Avaieh Thomas and two from Krueger fueled a 7-0 Wolfpack spurt that put them ahead 21-10 in the second set. Two Carpenter kills and a Flathead hitting error ended that one.
Flathead got going in the third set, riding a big effort from 5-foot-4 sophomore Reagan Castillo — five kills, a block and an ace — to a 25-13 win. “She’s such a good player,” Glacier coach Jaimie Nelson said.
The good feelings didn’t last. In the fourth set Carpenter had three kills after Flathead closed to 18-14. The Bravettes finished with 15 service errors.
Lingle added eight kills for the Pack.
“I’m going to brag about all of them. That was definitely a team win,” Nelson said. “We had had a game plan and they executed exactly what we wanted to do. Except that third set.
“I’m just super proud of my team. ... They had a different way they wanted this season to end. And they’re very tenacious.”
Glacier is at Missoula Big Sky next Tuesday, then at Butte the following Friday. The third- through sixth-place teams — the Pack are now tied for sixth and Flathead is tied for fourth with Big Sky — will have play-ing games to reach the State AA tournament.
The Bravettes and Pack have four matches left.
“This is another game that we will carry with us and use in the next couple games in our season,” Carpenter said. “To take us to a play-in game and hopefully to State.”
Flathead travels to Butte next Thursday, then brings in Big Sky on Oct. 25.
Glacier def. Flathead 26-18, 25-13, 13-25, 25-17
Kills — Glacier 37 (Allie Krueger 11, Marlo Carpenter 11, Grace Lingle 8), Flathead 30 (Reagan Castllo 8, Olivia Neva 8). Assists — Glacier 26 (Madi Stevens 26), Flathead 28 (Anna Bain 20). Digs — Glacier 25 (Zellah Boles 11, Addison Thramer 7), Flathead 50 (Katie Manning 14). Blocks — Glacier 4 (Krueger 2), Flathead 4 (Makenna Aldrich 3). Aces — Glacier 11 (Boles 4, Stevens 4), Flathead 9 (O’Dell 2, Bain 2).
Flathead's Reagan Castillo (4) goes to the net for a kill against Glacier at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier's Allie Krueger (20) goes to the net for a kill against Flathead at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Makenna Aldrich (4) goes to the net for a kill against Glacier at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier's Madi Stevens (10) sets for a teammate against Flathead at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Anna Bain (9) passes to a teammate against Glacier at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier's Avaieh Thomas (4) goes to the net for a kill against Flathead at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Addison Thornberry (6) goes to the net for a kill against Glacier at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier's Chloe Farrell (21) goes to the net for a kill against Flathead at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier celebrates after a point against Flathead at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead celebrates after a point against Glacier at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Glacier's Grace Lingle (8) passes to a teammate against Flathead at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
Flathead's Cheyenne Heino (25) sets for a teammate against Glacier at Flathead High School on Thursday, Oct. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)Casey Kreider
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