Kats lose to Dogs to end regular season

The Columbia Falls volleyball team had its unbeaten streak in conference play snapped by cross-valley rival Whitefish Saturday in a marathon match, 25-16, 27-25, 17-25, 15-25, 18-16.

Morgan Stenger led the Kats with 27 of the Kats 84 kills, but it still wasn’t enough to get past a scrappy Bulldog squad in Whitefish. The Kats led in every statistic.

Earlier in the week, the Kats beat Polson in three games, 26-24, 25-23, 25-21.

The girls travel to Hamilton for the Western A Conference playoffs. The Kats ended their conference record at 5-1 and were 13-1 overall in matches outside of tournament play. 

The girls open play Thursday at 4 p.m. with a matchup against Dillon. The double elimination tourney concludes Saturday.

Whitefish def. Columbia Falls 25-16, 27-25, 17-25, 15-25, 18-16

Kills—CF 84 (Morgan Stenger 27), Whitefish 45 (Cailyn Ross 13). Blocks—CF 8 (Stenger 4), Whitefish 3 (Allie Schulz 3). Assists—CF 37 (Cydney Finberg 35), Whitefish 46 (Libby Nagler 23). Digs—CF 86 (Kaitlyn Cassaza 19), Whitefish 55 (Serena Hemmingson 14). Aces—CF 10 (KJ Schweikert 3), Whitefish 9 (Ellie Dewan 4).

Columbia Falls def. Polson 26-24, 25-23, 25-21

Kills — Columbia Falls 28 (Morgan Stenger 10), Polson 27 (Haley Fyant 8). Assists — Columbia Falls 26 (Cidney Finberg 26), Polson 26 (Erin Sampson 26). Digs — Columbia Falls 29 (Kaitlyn Casazza 10), Polson 34 (Marlee Congdon 12). Blocks — Columbia Falls 10 (Stenger 6), Polson 4 (Lauren Lefthand 2). Aces — Columbia Falls 5 (Casazza 3), Polson 9 (Hannah Fryberger, Fyant 3).