Spikers drop Bulldogs, Maidens for two big wins
Hungry Horse News | UPDATED 1 hour, 48 minutes AGO
Kamryn Ladenburg saves an errant bump for the Wildkats. Seth B. Anderson Photo.
The Columbia Falls Wildkat volleyball team went 2-0 in conference play this past. They defeated the Ronan Maidens in an away match on Tuesday and secured a much-anticipated home rematch win against the Whitefish Bulldogs on Thursday.
The Kats took care of business in Ronan over the course of three sets: 25-21, 25-7, and 25-23. Columbia Falls would rack up a total of 32 kills, with Peyton Ross leading the charge with 9. She’d also have a hot night with 3 of 5 the team’s aces along with 13 digs.
Rylee Sweeney also showed she was a force to be dealt with 7 kills of her own along with 4 of the 5 blocks at the net. Anabelle Middlesworth had 7 kills as well, and Kamryn Ladenburg ended her evening with 6. Ava Scholz had the most digs, contributing to 17 out of the team’s 57. Jezanie Brooks added 25 more assists to her season’s total.
Thursday’s game against the Lady Bulldogs was the highlight of the week. The last time these two teams clashed, the Kats narrowly lost in a 5-game series. However, this time, Columbia Falls would be winners of the hard-fought battle which would once again take 5 sets and end in final scores of: 25-14, 18-25, 25-12, 21-25, and 15-10.
The overall stats on the night would be impressive with 49 kills, 13 aces, 9 blocks, 44 assists, and 127 digs for Columbia Falls.
Ross would once again be a standout performer, amassing 34 digs, 5 aces, and 10 kills. Ladenburg also had a hot night at the net with 12 kills along with 23 digs. Middlesworth racked up 9 kills to help the Kats round out the offense.
Sweeney had another great night, contributing 10 kills, 5 aces, 20 digs, and 3 blocks for the Kats. Brooks made an impact of her own with 37 assists, 4 kills, and 20 digs. Lastly, Gabby Riley would play a crucial role at the net with 4 blocks of her own.
“We had a fun night. This game was for third in the conference and after looking at the point spread from tonight and when we played them at their home, I think we lost by one point. Which means we have to beat Bigfork on Tuesday to have a better record than them, or we’ll come out fourth heading into divisionals,” said coach Jolandie Brooks.
Unfortunately they were swept by Bigfork Tuesday night after presstime, so they now face a play-in game on Saturday.