Valkyries place third

By FAITH MOLDAN

Bigfork Eagle

It all came down to the Bigfork Valkyries' second match against Whitefish at the Northwest A Divisional Tournament in Ronan last week. A win sent the Vals to state while a loss ended their season and gave them the third-place title.

Bigfork sent the first match against Whitefish into four games two days prior to the second match. That match, the Vals' first loss of the tournament, came after beating Polson in four games and before beating both tournament-host Ronan and the Columbia Falls Wildkats. Whitefish proved to be too much for Bigfork, as the Lady Bulldogs topped the Vals in three games and dashed the Vals' hopes of continuing their season.

The Vals beat the Polson Lady Pirates 25-15, 25-23, 19-25, 25-15 in their first game of the tournament. Alyssa Fierro led the way in kills with 10, blocks with five and aces with 10. Roxy Thurman added 10 kills as well, and notched 12 digs. Avery Vogel recorded 17 set assists for the Vals.

"They really turned it up at the end of the season," Bigfork coach Kelsey Jensen said of the Vals' play. She added that after dealing with a number of injuries during the season, the Vals were able to play with the same lineup for the past two weeks which helped in adding some consistency. "They played awesome."

Bigfork's win advanced the Vals to their first match against Whitefish, which had had a first-round bye. The match, which ended with the Bulldogs on top 25-11, 25-16, 22-25, 25-18, began troubled for the Vals, as they quickly fell behind the Bulldogs. McCara Cullen helped the Bulldogs add to their 5-2 lead with three aces. Two mis-handled balls from the Vals also added to Whitefish's lead, which jumped out to 10-2 before Thurman ended the scoring-run with a kill.

The two teams traded points back and forth, with the Bulldogs maintaining their lead while Fierro added a block and kill. She led the Vals with 14 kills, four blocks and five aces. Emily Hardman also recorded a kill during the Vals' efforts for a comeback that fell short 25-11.

Things began clicking for the Vals midway through game two of the match. Bigfork went on two small scoring-runs that cut the once 13-point Whitefish lead to seven points. As things began working out for the Vals, Whitefish continued to charge ahead to a two-game lead with a 25-16 game-two win.

Game three was a must win for the Vals. They worked off of the momentum they had gained during game two. Vogel started the game at the service line. When she was done the Vals led by five points. She served two aces and Fierro added a kill during the scoring.

Bigfork held onto its lead despite the Bulldog's best efforts. Cullen's serving spelled trouble for the Vals again, as she tallied another ace serve and made the score 17-20. The Vals blocked an attempt by Ashley Ferda, who had a large role in the remainder of the game. After being blocked, Ferda was called for a net violation with Thurman at the line for the Vals. Thurman and Kelly Deaton both recorded 12 digs for the Vals, while Vogel had 16 set assists.

Ferda got the sideout for the Bulldogs on the next serve but then hit the ball out to give the serve back to Bigfork. She tipped the ball to take it right back and then served for the Bulldogs, who trailed Bigfork by just two points at 21-23. Another Bigfork block, this time on Brielle Menegazzi, stopped the Bulldogs. Thurman stepped to the service line and Ferda gave the Vals the game at 25-22 with a hitting error.

The final game was close all the way through, with the scored tied five times and one major lead change.

Bigfork led early by as little as two points and as many as five. Ahead 10-7, the Vals' lead slipped and the Bulldogs tied the game at 10 apiece and then 11, 13 and 14. Whitefish led by two at both 13-11 and 16-14. The Bulldogs stretched that lead, although the Vals came within one and two points of them before Whitefish won 25-18.

"They really hustled," Jensen said of the Vals. "The ball just ended up in their (Whitefish's) court, more than ours." She added that although the Vals were able to push their first match against the Bulldogs to four games, while the second match was over in three, Bigfork played better volleyball in the second match as the scores were tighter and closer. "They knew they wanted it," Jensen said.

Bigfork lost by five, four and two points in that second match, as they were just barely edged out by the Bulldogs. Fierro tallied 17 kills and three blocks. Knoll recorded 10 digs and Vogel had 25 set assists. Luckow notched five aces for the Vals.

The Vals won the their next two matches after their first loss to Whitefish to stay alive in the tournament. Bigfork topped Ronan in three games 25-21, 25-23, 25-18.

Bigfork began the match tying game one at 5-5 and 7-7 before taking the lead and maintaining it for the 25-21 win. Game two was tighter, as the teams traded points and the lead. Thurman helped the Vals get the lead back and keep it. She recorded a kill to get the serve for the Vals and make the score 7-9. After another sideout by both teams, Thurman notched one ace as Fierro recorded one kill.

Fierro notched another kill to keep the Vals' lead steady at two points. Thurman tipped the ball a little later in the game and sent the Maidens chasing after it. She also tallied another ace to make the Vals' lead five points. That's when the Vals hit a few snags, which included a set with no hitter in place and two aces from the Maidens. A net violation on the Maidens put the ball back into the hands of the Vals and gave them the 25-23 win.

Game three was a bit quicker and smoother for the Vals. They led 4-1 after Vogel's serving and a Fierro kill. Fierro and Hardman added two more kills for the Vals, who then led 8-2. Thurman got into the swing of things, adding a kill with Rachael Luckow at the line. Thurman tallied 12 digs and three aces in the match. Leading by six points, Fierro notched another kill for Bigfork to get a sideout. Mistakes by the Maidens lengthened Bigfork's lead to 19-10 with Knoll at the line.

Fierro, who ended the match with 12 kills, again got the sideout for the Vals at 20-13. Luckow, Thurman and Vogel ended the game for the Vals, as they recorded an ace, kill and tip respectively for the 25-18 win. Vogel had 22 set assists on the night.

The Vals had to turn things up against Columbia Falls to record their final win of the tournament and season. The Kats took game one 25-16, but Bigfork stormed back and won the next three 25-17, 25-12, 25-21.

Bigfork totaled of a whopping 42 kills in the match, out-hitting the Kats who tallied 26 kills. Fierro led the Vals with 22 kills, two blocks and three aces. Knoll also had three aces to add onto her 12 digs. Vogel again led the Vals in assists with 24. The win put the Vals in their second match with Whitefish.