Bulldog spikers dominate starter tourney

The Lady Bulldogs varsity volleyball team showed on Saturday they can make some noise in the competitive Northwest A Conference.

The team went 7-1 in the starter tourney hosted by Whitefish, and walked away from the event with the best record of the 10 teams represented. The Bulldogs posted decisive wins against Ronan, Columbia Falls and Eureka, with their only slipup coming against Bigfork in the second game of the match.

The event split the 10 teams into two 5-team pools. Matches featured two games to 25 points. The starter tourney is a chance for teams in the region to find their baseline and become familiar with some new rules of the game, including proper substitution techniques.

Lady Bulldogs coach Jackie Fuller was impressed with her girls' performance at the tourney.

"We played really well," she said. "The team played with a lot of heart and a lot of determination."

Fuller said their success in the tournament was a product of the entire bench.

"We played impressive team ball," she said. "Everyone stepped up in a big way, we played really well against every team."

That fused style of play will be huge in their first match of the season against a much improved Polson Pirates team on Thursday.

Polson was an impressive 6-2 in the starter tourney and is returning all their starters from last season's team.

Fuller says for the 'Dogs to succeed against the Pirates, the team needs to protect their half of the court.

"It all starts with blocking," she said. "We've got to play really good defense."

She says seniors Kaitlyn Wehrli, Jessica Slaybaugh and Molly Filipek will be looked to as key players on the defensive end, but reiterates success will only follow a unified effort.

"We've got to compete every game, for the entire game," she said. "We have to play excellent team ball."

Starter tourney results

Pool A

Whitefish 7-1

Eureka 4-4

Ronan 3-5

Columbia Falls 3-5

Bigfork 3-5

Matches

Whitefish 25, Ronan 13

Whitefish 25, Ronan 17

Columbia Falls 25, Eureka 18

Eureka 25, Columbia Falls 12

Whitefish 25, Bigfork 20

Bigfork 25, Whitefish 18

Ronan 25, Eureka 15

Eureka 25, Ronan 19

Columbia Falls 28, Ronan 26

Ronan 25, Columbia Falls 23

Eureka 25, Bigfork 18

Eureka 25, Bigfork 18

Whitefish 25, Eureka 21

Whitefish 25, Eureka 18

Columbia Falls 25, Bigfork 21

Bigfork 25, Columbia Falls 22

Bigfork 25, Ronan 11

Ronan 27, Bigfork 25

Whitefish 25, Columbia Falls 14

Whitefish 25, Columbia Falls 14