Polson wins Western A Volleyball Championship

Three tournaments, three championships, and now the Polson Lady Pirates have their sights set on an even bigger prize.

Polson capped an impressive run through the Western A Divisional Volleyball Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 7, defeating Northwest A rival Bigfork 3-1 to claim the divisional championship at Hamilton High School.

The Lady Pirates finished the tournament unbeaten, improving to 17-1 overall while collecting their third tournament championship of the season, following victories at the season-opening Tip-Off Tournament and midseason Blocktober Tournament.

The championship also sends Polson into the Class A State Volleyball Tournament as the Western Division's top seed, giving the Lady Pirates an opportunity to build on last year's fourth-place state finish.

The Lady Pirates had to work for their championship victory against Bigfork, which entered the tournament as the Northwest A Conference's top seed.

After dropping the opening set 25-19, Polson regrouped and won three consecutive sets, 25-21, 25-21 and 25-23, to secure the title.

McKenna Corley powered Polson's offensive attack with 17 kills while also recording seven solo blocks and one block assist. 

Embree Bird added nine kills, while Eliza Todd and Logan McCrea contributed seven apiece. Rylee Taylor-Jefferson directed the offense with 27 assists, while Kendyl Jaeger added 11.

Senior Aleysia Black delivered another strong performance from the service line, collecting five of Polson's 10 aces. Taylor-Jefferson contributed two aces, while Bird, Todd and McCrea each added one.

Defensively, Black led the Lady Pirates with 19 digs, followed by Bird with 16 and McCrea with 14. Polson finished with 78 digs as a team. The championship victory was Polson's second win over Bigfork in as many days.

In Friday's undefeated semifinal, the Lady Pirates defeated the Valkyries 25-15, 25-21, 22-25 and 25-19.

Corley finished with 19 kills, while Todd delivered 17 and McCrea added 11. Taylor-Jefferson recorded 35 assists, and Bird anchored the defense with 27 digs. Black added 20 digs as Polson combined for 83.

The Lady Pirates opened the divisional tournament Thursday with a four-set victory over host Hamilton, winning 25-14, 25-18, 22-25 and 25-20. Corley led Polson with 16 kills, followed by Todd with 10, McCrea with eight and Opal Nash with seven. Taylor-Jefferson contributed 24 assists and four aces, while Black collected 14 digs.

Later Thursday, Polson swept Columbia Falls 25-18, 25-23 and 25-18 to advance into the undefeated semifinal. Corley again led the offensive effort with 15 kills, while Todd added eight and Bird contributed six. McCrea served three aces, and Taylor-Jefferson finished with 20 assists.

Across Polson's four tournament matches, Corley accumulated 67 kills, leading the Lady Pirates' championship charge.

Under head coach Lizzy Cox, Polson now turns its attention to the Class A State Volleyball Tournament, scheduled for Nov. 12-14 at Montana State University's Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman.

The Lady Pirates will open against Miles City at noon Thursday, Nov. 12.

Polson will be looking to improve on several notable state tournament appearances in recent years. The Lady Pirates finished fourth at state in 2025 after going 2-2. They also claimed third place in 2021 and finished fourth in 2009. Polson reached the state tournament in 2022 and 2023 but did not place in either appearance.

With three tournament championships already secured this fall, the Lady Pirates enter Bozeman hoping to add another trophy to their collection.

Charlo battles through Western C Divisional

While Polson celebrated a championship, Charlo saw its postseason come to an end following a competitive showing at the Western C Divisional Tournament at Manhattan Christian.

The Lady Vikings finished 1-2 during the tournament, highlighted by a four-set elimination victory over Seeley-Swan.

Charlo opened tournament play Thursday against Twin Bridges, falling in four closely contested sets. After losing the opener 25-14, the Lady Vikings responded with a 25-23 victory in the second set to even the match.

Twin Bridges regained control with a 25-22 third-set victory before holding off Charlo 29-27 in an extended fourth set. 

The loss sent Charlo into the elimination bracket, where the Lady Vikings faced Seeley-Swan on Friday. Charlo responded with a hard-fought 30-28, 25-22, 15-25 and 25-22 victory to keep its season alive.

The opening set proved especially competitive, with the Lady Vikings needing 30 points to secure the win. Charlo took the second set before Seeley-Swan answered in the third. The Lady Vikings regrouped in the fourth, winning 25-22 to advance.

However, Charlo's postseason came to an end later Friday against Valley Christian. The Lady Vikings battled through a tight opening set before falling 26-24. Valley Christian followed with 25-20 and 25-21 victories to complete the sweep.

Charlo had entered the divisional tournament following a third-place finish at the combined District 13C/14C Tournament. Only the top two teams from Western C advanced to state, leaving the Lady Vikings just short of a berth.

Mission, Arlee eliminated at Western B

Lake County's Class B representatives also saw their seasons conclude during the Western B Divisional Tournament, held Nov. 4-7 in Florence.

Mission opened the tournament Wednesday with a three-set victory over neighboring Arlee in a divisional play-in match. The Lady Bulldogs defeated the Lady Lions 25-12, 25-23 and 25-17, advancing into Thursday's main tournament bracket.

Mission faced a difficult opening-round assignment against Florence, the top seed from District 6B.

The Lady Falcons swept the Lady Bulldogs 25-18, 25-22 and 25-8, sending Mission into an elimination match against Missoula Loyola. The Lady Bulldogs were unable to extend their postseason, falling to the Breakers 25-16, 25-15 and 25-22.

Mission finished its divisional appearance with one victory and two losses.

Arlee, meanwhile, had an opportunity to keep its season alive Thursday despite the opening loss to Mission. 

Facing Eureka in an elimination match, the Lady Lions fell behind after dropping the first two sets by identical 25-13 scores. Arlee responded in the third set, earning a 25-21 victory to extend the match.

However, Eureka closed out the contest with a 25-19 fourth-set win, ending the Lady Lions' season. Neither Mission nor Arlee advanced to the Class B State Tournament, with only the top two Western B finishers earning state berths.

Ronan also missed the Western A Divisional Tournament after falling to Columbia Falls in a Northwest A play-in match on Oct. 31. The Wildkats defeated the Maidens 25-19, 25-15 and 25-18.

    Embree Bird spikes the ball towards the Bigfork Valkyries on Friday, Nov. 6. (Amanda Adams photo)
 Kendyl Jaeger sets the ball for Opal Nash to spike across the net during the Lady Pirates Western A Volleyball Tournament in Hamilton last weekend. (Amanda Adams photo)