Volleyball loses to Bigfork, drops Ronan

The Columbia Falls Wildkat volleyball team split its conference matches last week, losing to the Bigfork Valkyries on Tuesday before defeating the Ronan Maidens on Thursday.

The Kats began the match against the Valkyries with a strong performance, securing the first two matches with scores of 25-22 and 25-22.  However, the third match turned out to be a battle, ending in a narrow defeat for the Kats with a score of 28-30.  From there, Bigfork managed to go on to secure the next two matches with scores of 15-25 and 8-15.

“We had a tough one on Tuesday night against Bigfork, losing in five sets.  As disappointing as the loss was, I also walked away encouraged by how much this team is growing.  We are competing with some really tough teams, and I think that is a testament to how far we’ve come.  Last year, so much of our focus was on our on-court dynamics – learning how to communicate, trust each other, stay connected and play for one another,” coach Jolandie Brooks said. “Now, our next step is getting X’s and O’s to consistently come together with that chemistry.  We’re learning how to execute when the pressure is high, make the right decisions in big moments, and mostly importantly, finish. Tuesday was another opportunity to learn that lesson.  We had our chances against a very good Bigfork team, and now we have to learn how to close those matches out.  That’s the challenge I want this group to embrace rather than shy away from.”

Up next was a home matchup between the Maidens and the Kats, where the Kats won in three sets, 26-24, 25-16, and 25-16.

They’d compile 42 kills on the night with Rylee Sweeney leading the way with 15 followed by Peyton Ross with 9 and Anabelle Middlesworth with 7.  Gabby Riley would see some blocking action with 2 and Sweeney with 1.  Brooks contributed 25 assists, while Emma Hooker also added 5.  

Out of the total 49 digs, Ava Scholz would have 16, while Ross would have 14, along with 3 additional aces.  Ladenburg and Scout Nelson would also contribute three aces each, helping bring the team’s total to 12 aces.

The Kats have two away games and a home game this week.  They’ll travel to Browning on Tuesday and meet the Whitefish Lady Bulldogs at the dog pound on Thursday.  Their homecoming contest is on Saturday against Stevensville.

“We have a big match against Whitefish Thursday, and I’m excited to see how we respond.  We’re not where we want to be yet, but I really like the direction this team is headed.  They’ve worked hard to build something special with each other, and now it’s all about taking that next step on the court,” said Brooks.