Spikers notch a pair of wins against Bigfork, Ronan

By BRANDON HANSEN

Hungry Horse News

Columbia Falls volleyball won two matches last week and climbed to No. 11 in the Montana Class A MaxPreps rankings.

Against Ronan on Tuesday, Sept. 24, The Wildkats defeated Ronan 16-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-16, 15-13. 

“Emalee Alton and Sadie Cheff’s kills helped us out in the Ronan match, along with Emalee’s aces and digs,” Columbia Falls coach Jolandie Brooks said. “We did not play to our full potential against Ronan; I’m excited to see them again at home.”

Sadie Cheff had eight kills, while Rylee Sweeney and Anabelle Middlesworth had five apiece. On the service strip, Emalee Alton had five aces, while Ava Scholz had four. Annika Reid led the team with 11 digs, while Alton had 10. 

Kierra Kemppaninen had 18 assists, while Jezanie Brooks had 15.

Against Bigfork on Thursday, Sept. 26, the Wildkats won in four - 27-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-22, led by Sweeney’s nine kills. Alton added seven kills while also collecting 15 digs.

Alton also had four aces, while Reid had three aces. Sweeney was a power at the net, collecting seven blocks.

On defense, Ava Scholz also had 15 digs, while Lexi Anderson had 10. Kierra Kemppainen led the offense with 17 assists, while Jezanie Brooks had nine.

Columbia Falls is 5-3 on the year and 4-1 in conference play. 

“Bigfork was a fun game to watch,” Brooks said. “They kept their scoring close to ours the whole way, taking turns going on runs. This was the best I’ve seen my girls play, a lot of small things coming together without too many errors. Rylee Sweeney had a breakout night with seven blocks and nine kills! Seven blocks isn’t common — she was a wall at the net.”