Whitefish pushed undefeated Polson to the limit Thursday, falling in a five-set battle, 3-2, in a key Northwest A volleyball matchup.  

The Bulldogs opened the game with a 25-21 win in the first set. Polson flipped the switch to take the second set 25-20. Then it was back to the Lady Dawgs in the third, 25-30. The fourth set was close, but the Pirates took the edge 27-20. The PIrates won the fifth and final set after a long, heated battle, 15-10.  

Whitefish was led offensively by freshman Abby Brooks, who recorded a team-high 11 kills while hitting .214. Junior Annabelle Barrile added six kills, while Avery Orme and Edolie Petersen chipped in six kills apiece. Setter Allie Shors had 27 assists and contributed five kills and a team-best 22 digs. The Bulldogs finished with 34 kills on 158 attacks. 

Defensively, Shors led the way with 22 digs, Hannah Szady added 16, Emy Hansen finished with 14 and Orme contributed 13. Whitefish totaled 92 digs as a team, repeatedly extending rallies against a powerful Polson attack. 

At the net, Orme provided a strong presence with five blocks, while Brooks and Shors added one block each. Whitefish finished with seven team blocks. 

The Bulldogs were also efficient from the service line, serving at a 95.4% rate. Szady led the team with three aces, while Brooks added two. Whitefish recorded seven aces compared to just five service errors. 

The Bulldogs entered the match with momentum after a dominant 3-0 Northwest A victory over Browning earlier in the week. Whitefish controlled that contest from start to finish, winning 25-11, 25-8 and 25-13. 

Whitefish hosts rival Columbia Falls on Oct. 1. The Wildkats stand at 6-1 overall and 4-3 in league, whereas the Bulldogs are 5-2 and 3-2.