Wildkats dominate tournament for second state A volleyball title
From left, Anna Nicosia, Cydney Finberg, Keavyn Baker, Kiara Burlage, Morgan Stenger and KJ Schweikert celebrate their state A title.
Kiara Burlage with a dig against Central while the bench looks on.
Morgan Stenger slaps the ball over the net against Belgrade.
Kaitlyn Casazza with a serve against Central.
The Columbia Falls girls volleyball team didn’t just win the state A championship Saturday in Bozeman. They dominated the tournament.
The stat sheet is one for the ages.
Morgan Stenger, had 19 kills Kaitlyn Casazza had 15 and Kiara Burlage had 13 in the championship match against Billings Central as the girls won, 22-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-17.
But the numbers don’t stop there.
Cydney Finberg had a whopping 48 assists, Burlage had 20 digs and the team had an incredible 87 digs total in the victory. These are numbers you don’t see very often in high school volleyball. But the Wildkats were no ordinary team.
For the season, they only lost 10 sets and were a perfect 22-0 against Class A opponents en route to their second consecutive title.
It didn’t come easy, noted second-year coach Jessy Matthews. She said it all started in the off-season with open gyms and summer tournaments.
“You couldn’t ask for a better group of girls,” she told the crowd during an assembly at the high school to recognize the girls’ title run on Monday.
Matthews noted the girls came into the year with confidence. But last year they were the underdog. This year the bullseye was on their back.
“Everyone was gunning for us,” Casazza said. “We had to work harder every game.”
The girls opened the tourney Thursday at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on the Montana State University campus with a a straight set 25-11, 25-16, 25-14 victory over Sidney. Later in the day they dropped Central in four, 27-29, 25-22, 25-17, 25-11 to advance to the semifinal Friday against Belgrade.
The Kats dropped the Panthers, 25-16, 25-18, 28-26. Finberg had 16 digs in the win and seven aces.
In the championship, they faced Central again. Once again, the Lady Rams won the first set, but it was all Columbia Falls after that.
The Kats will lose all their starters to graduation, but have a solid core of underclassmen coming up through the ranks, Matthews noted.
“The future looks bright,” she said.
Finberg was named most valuable player as well as all-state and first team all-conference. Also taking first-team all-conference and all-state were Stenger, Burlage and Casazza. Keavyn Baker and Anna Nicosia were named second team all-conference.
Columbia Falls def. Sidney 25-11, 25-16, 25-14
Kills - Sidney 21 (N/A), Columbia Falls 33 (Morgan Stenger 9, Kaitlyn Casazza 8). Blocks - Sidney 1 (N/A), Columbia Falls 6 (Kiara Burlage 3, Stenger 3). Assists - Sidney 19 (N/A), Columbia Falls 25 (Cydney Finberg 24). Digs - Sidney 31 (N/A), Columbia Falls 36 (Stenger 8, Burlage 8). Aces - Sidney 1 (N/A), Columbia Falls 8 (Finberg 3, KJ Schweikert 2).
Columbia Falls def. Billings Central 27-29, 25-22, 25-17, 25-11
Kills - Columbia Falls 61 (Morgan Stenger 19, Kiara Burlage 17), Billings Central 30 (Sydney Hawbaker 9). Blocks - Columbia Falls 10 (Stenger 6), Billings Central 12 (Olivia Moten-Schell 5). Assists - Columbia Falls 53 (Cydney Finberg 47), Billings Central 26 (Devin Nielsen 25). Digs - Columbia Falls 116 (Kaitlyn Casazza 28), Billings Central 82 (Avery Hadley 27). Aces - Columbia Falls 6 (Casazza 4), Billings Central 11 (Laura Sterup 5).
Columbia Falls def. Belgrade 25-16, 25-18, 28-26
Kills - Belgrade 22 (Olivia Cook 8), Columbia Falls 31 (Morgan Stenger 9). Blocks - Belgrade 3 (Brooke Gilbertson 1 1/2), Columbia Falls 4 (Stenger 2). Assists - Belgrade 17 (Shania Neubauer 16), Columbia Falls 28 (Cydney Finberg 28). Digs - Belgrade 50 (Taylor Christensen 19), Columbia Falls 67 (Finberg 16). Aces - Belgrade 7 (Cook 4), Columbia Falls 15 (Finberg 7).
Championship
Columbia Falls def. Billings Central 22-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-17
Kills - Columbia Falls 64 (Morgan Stenger 19), Billings Central 37 (Hailey Keller 9). Blocks - Columbia Falls 8 (Stenger 5), Billings Central 9 (Olivia Moten-Schell 5). Assists - Columbia Falls 54 (Cydney Finberg 48), Billings Central 35 (Devin Nielsen 34). Digs - Columbia Falls 87 (Kiara Burlage 20), Billings Central 54 (Bailey Kufeld 14). Aces - Columbia Falls 5 (Finberg 2), Billings Central 3 (Kufeld 2).