Spikers take second at Blocktober tourney in Butte

Columbia Falls Wildkat volleyball made a strong statement in Butte at the annual Blocktoberfest Tournament when they’d end the weekend going 7-1 in pool play and 2-1 in bracket play.

 The Kats started the tournament off with a bang on Friday, delivering a hard-fought 28-26 victory against the top-ranked Billings Central.  They’d go onto defeat Libby, 25-16; Florence, 25-18; Butte Central, 25-17; Park, 25-21; Dillon, 25-20; and Anaconda, 25-18. 

 Their only loss in pool play action would come up against another top team from the eastern side of the state, Miles City.  The Kats didn’t make it easy for the Cowgirls and the contest would end in a close score of 25-27.

Columbia Falls’ performance on Friday would secure their spot in the championship bracket play for Saturday’s action.  They would first face Bigfork and send the Valkryies to the losers’ bracket with wins of 25-23 and 25-23.  Next up, they advanced to meet the Blue Ponies from Havre, where the match would be a three-set affair, with scores of 25-22, 15-25, and 15-11.

Having secured two wins in bracket play, the Kats would face the Polson Lady Pirates in the championship round.  The Pirates would prove to be too much for Columbia Falls as they would take the contest 15-25 and 18-25.

 “Look at what they did!  A team ranked 12th in the state for Class A, came out second!” said head coach Jolandie Brooks on the Kats performance. “I couldn’t be more proud or happier for them.  It’s hard to put into words what I witnessed these past two days.  A shift in their mindset for starters, which led to a shift in their execution, which led to points, which led to wins.

 “We learned a lot about ourselves with these wins, and we’re hungry for more of them, but the loses are motivating us to get back to work!”

The Kats will travel to Libby on Tuesday to face the Lady Loggers after press time.  They will then return home to face the Lady Pirates on Thursday, with the games starting at 4:15 p.m.