Lady 'Dogs fall to Polson

Whitefish's volleyball squad opened conference play with a tough 3-1 loss to a talented Polson team featuring one of the league's best closers in Breanne Kelly.

The Lady Pirates star hitter crushed 23 kills to lead Polson to a 25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 25-14 win Sept. 2 at Whitefish.

"She is a great athlete and a great competitor," Whitefish coach Jackie Fuller said about Kelly. "When you go up against a great hitter like that, you have to be ready to block."

Polson was able to rain down 53 kills in the match, more than doubling Whitefish's total.

While the end result wasn't a win, Whitefish proved they could hang with a gifted team like Polson. The 'Dogs kept the match close and held a lead in each game, maybe signaling a weakness early in the season.

"We need to firmly believe in ourselves and compete until the end," Fuller said. " Once we get that momentum, we have to maintain it. We're working on that in practice."

The bright spot in the match came in the third game when the 'Dogs effectively shut down Kelly at the net.

Whitefish jumped out to a 10-1 lead in that game and fended off Polson's comeback effort in the end.

With the score 3-1, Baylee Tveidt scored a huge block that ignited the extra-rowdy student section. Four points later, Tveidt and Olivia Nagler combine to block a Kelly kill attempt, then they did it again to give Whitefish a nine point lead.

Polson crept back into the game late, but senior outside hitter Heather Bailey crushed their rally with a delicate tap over two defenders to help seal the win.

"They did a great job in that game," Fuller said. "The girls stayed intense the whole time."

Coming up this weekend, Whitefish goes to the Northwest/Southwest tourney in Columbia Falls.

"That will be a great opportunity to get in a lot of playing time and get some experience," Fuller said. "That's the thing that is going to make Whitefish better and allow us to gel at a team."

Polson def. Whitefish, 25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 25-14.

Kills - Polson 53, (Breanne Kelley 23), Whitefish 25 (Heather Bailey 8). Blocks - Polson n/a, Whitefish 6 (Olivia Nagler 3). Digs - Polson 67 (Duford 17), Whitefish 42 (Bailey 13). Assists - Polson 43 (Kayla Duford 40), Whitefish 20 (Nagler 15). Aces - Polson 16 (Riley Kenney 7), Whitefish 2 (Madison Tveidt 2).