Valkyries lose hard fight against Thompson Falls

The Valkyries volleyball team added another loss and another win to their season record last week.

They beat Mission on the road in St. Ignatius 3-0, and lost to Thompson Falls at home in three very close sets.

“Each set felt like we were right there, and were going to be able to pull it off,” head coach Melody Strauss said of the Thompson Falls match. “It was really exciting to see them fight so hard and never give up. Each set was close each team only ever leading by a couple of points. The first and second set both went over 25 points, the first ending 28-26 and the second 30-28.

“We struggled a little bit with communication,” Strauss said. “We found for a few moments our feet were kind of glued to the ground.”

But she was pleased with how hard the Vals played, and noted Marissa Hiza’s hussle on the court. 

“Defensively Marissa Hiza was probably the one that held us together,” Strauss said. “Marissa did very well covering and moving her feet. It was fun to see.” Hiza had 14 kills and 18 digs for the Valkyries against Thompson Falls.

The game against Mission was also a hard-fought match. When the Vals faced Mission earlier in the season it took four sets to secure their victory. 

“This time we came out and we were able to be that in three which was great,” Strauss said. “We came out strong, we played good defense. It was a team effort for sure.”

Hiza had 12 kills against Mission, while Abbie Fraley led with digs and aces.

The matchup against Thompson Falls was the last regular season home game for the Vals. They’re on the road this week at Plains on Thursday and Troy on Saturday.

Thompson Falls def. Bigfork 28-26, 30-28, 25-23

Kills — Thompson Falls 50 (Shey Hannun 12), Bigfork 33 (Marissa Hiza 14); Blocks — Thompson Falls 4 (Autrey Hannun 3), Bigfork 6 (Miranda Campbell 4); Assists — Thompson Falls 39 (Logan Beckman 37), Bigfork 29 (Kalia Wicklund 26); Digs — Thompson Falls 57 (Beckman 15, Sierra Sorlie 15), Bigfork 64 (Hiza 18); Aces — Thompson Falls 8 (S. Hannun 3), Bigfork 5 (Abbie Fraley 3).

Bigfork def. St. Ignatius, 25-17, 25-22, 25-22.

Kills – Bigfork 33 (Marissa Hiza 12), St. Ignatius 17 (Lindsay Johnson 8); Blocks – Bigfork 4 (Hiza 2, Miranda Campbell 2), St. Ignatius 2 (Emilie Charlo, Laurel Scott); Digs – Bigfork 27 (Abbie Fraley 7), St. Ignatius 28 (Johnson 9, Courtney Heath 9); Assists – Bigfork 30 (Kalia Wicklund 24), St. Ignatius 16 (Jordyn Eichert 15); Aces – Bigfork 10 (Fraley 8), St. Ignatius 7 (Three with 2)