Tight battles in Northwest A volleyball

The Whitefish volleyball team gained valuable early-season experience at the annual NWA/SWA Tip-Off Tournament in Polson on Friday and Saturday, finishing sixth overall after a competitive weekend of matches.

"There was some competitive volleyball this weekend," Whitefish Head Coach Addy Connelly said. "The tip-off is a great tournament to see all the teams playing. It gives us opportunities to see not only how other teams are playing, but allows us to try players in different spots to determine who plays well next to each other, who is taking care of what balls and if any adjustments need to be made, we get to try them out."

The Bulldogs battled their way through pool play to a 4-3 record, placing third among Northwestern A schools with a narrow set-score advantage over Columbia Falls. That effort earned Whitefish a spot in the fifth-place placement match, where they faced Class B contender Florence. The Falcons edged Whitefish in straight sets, 25-18, 25-21, to claim the fifth-place trophy and leave the Bulldogs sixth.

"Eleanor Archie played really well in the back court with 82 digs while Annabelle Barrile led our team in hitting percentage with Stella Frisbee right behind her," Connelly said. "Stella also led our team in blocks with 7. Camry Kelch had 34 kills on the weekend. Allie Shors our setter ran a 5-1 for the first time this season and she played amazing along with 17 aces. I don't think she let a ball hit the floor."

Pool play showed just how balanced the Northwest A race could be this fall. Polson topped the division with a 4-3 record and the highest set differential, followed by Bigfork and Whitefish, both also at 4-3. Columbia Falls trailed close behind at 3-4.

"We will continue to work on what we can control on our side of the court," Connelly said. "We want to continue with a strong defense, improve our serving percentage and remember to have fun. We are going to see some great competitive games this season and look forward to our growth. We have great team unity, which really helps in the game of volleyball."