Maidens beat Kats and Pirates, but fall short

LIBBY - Ronan won three volleyball games, but lost the important ones against powerhouses Whitefish and Libby, who both went on to the state tournament this week.

Ronan faced Columbia Falls last Thursday (Nov. 11) for the second time in one week. The Kats defeated the Maidens 16-25 in the first game, but it was Ronan who finished the match strong, winning the last three games 26-24, 28-26 and 25-21.

"All of our hitters were hitting well against Columbia Falls," said Ronan head coach Fred Skogen.

The Maidens recorded 44 kills, led by Kira Crenshaw with 13. As a team Ronan had 69 digs, with Deserie Krell leading with 16.

"We were a little tight in the first game. We have not been a fast starter all season, and we have had to come from behind a lot. Our kids don't let being behind bother them" said Skogen.

Many of the Maidens' points came from long points.

"We had a lot of long points in the last three games that we won," Skogen said.

Ronan finished off Columbia Falls Thursday with help from Jamie Lake and Kira Crenshaw, who were the best passers, said Skogen.

Ronan advanced to play the Whitefish Bulldogs Friday morning, but lost in four games, 25-23, 21-25, 16-25 and 20-25.

The Maidens had a total of 39 kills, and Deserie Krell had a career-high 33 digs against Whitefish.

Ronan had to come out playing hard against Whitefish, who had only lost one conference game coming in to this match-up.

"They (Whitefish) expect to win every match" Skogen said.

The Maidens won the first game 25-23, but could not hold up to the Bulldogs' power. In the end, it was Whitefish coming out on top.

"The girls realized we would have to start strong against Whitefish," Skogen said after the match.

With the loss to Whitefish, the Maidens set up a rematch of last week's rival match against Polson. Ronan would once again come out on top after four close matches - 25-19, 25-18, 26-28 and 26-24.

They defeated the Pirates with help from Brooke Cornelius, who had 35 assists. Bridget Taylor had a perfect night passing for the Maidens, Skogen said, while Krell led the game with 19 digs and Lake led with 13 kills.

"It was a tight match. Polson is a team that plays well against us - they get geared up for us," said Skogen.

After the win over Polson the Maidens again faced Columbia Falls for the third time in one week. Ronan again was able to hold back the Kats in five games, 26-24, 22-25, 17-25, 25-15 and 15-9.

Ronan defeated Columbia Falls Nov. 6 and during the first round of the divisional tourney.

"I was not excited about playing them again - they may have had an edge on us. They (Columbia Falls) get you figured out and you figure them out," Skogen said.

Lake had a career high of 27 digs and a perfect passing match, Skogen said.

Columbia Falls took momentum in game four and went on a six-point run, bringing the Kats to within five points. Then Taylor sprained her ankle and things did not look good for the Maidens.

"After Taylor sprained her ankle the team stepped it up and scored the rest of the points in that game, and won 25-15," said Skogen.

With one loss to Whitefish it was do-or-die time for Ronan as they faced Libby.

Only 45 minutes after playing Columbia Falls and losing Taylor, it was time for the Maidens to play again. Libby came out strong and swept Ronan in three straight games, 18-25, 17-25 and 17-25.

"After losing Taylor the kids played extremely hard," Skogen said.

"The three-game match against the Loggers took nearly two hours to complete, with nearly every point being a long rally.

Ronan finished the season third in divisionals. The Maidens ended the season 10-8 overall and 7-8 in the conference. Ronan lost to Libby and Whitefish, both of whom advanced to the state tourney.

Cornelius was named by tourney officials to the all-tournament team.

"This was the best finish in a couple of seasons," said Skogen. "I was really pleased with the season and we definitely finished strong."