Maidens off to good start

Zach Urness

Leader Staff

The Ronan Maidens got off to a good start, as they performed well at the Whitefish Season Starter tournament last weekend, going 5-5 overall to take fifth place.

"Overall I was very pleased with things," said Ronan head coach Stacey Ropp. "We were mostly trying to get everybody into the game and get a feel for what people can do, so with that, I thought we played fairly well."

Ronan came out hot and beat Columbia Falls twice, 25-20, 25-22 and than improved to 3-1 after splitting with Bigfork 24-25, 26-16.

"I think we played with the most emotion and energy against Columbia Falls," said Ropp. "It was such a long tournament that we started to get tired physically and emotionally."

Ronan played very well in their third match of the day, narrowly losing twice to a very talented Libby team, 25-22, 25-24.

"We were in position to win that second game but we kind of let it slip away," commented Ropp. "They're a very tough team and I think the girls were a little surprised with how well they stayed with them."

The Maidens than lost to Stillwater Christian, 25-21, 25-11, but rebounded with two wins over Flathead Home School, 25-20, 25-21, squaring their record on what Ropp considered a successful day of learning.

Kaylee Larson led the team in aces, serving up 16 for the tourney to go along with nine kills.

"Kaylee was on fire serving," said Ropp. "She would dominate for stretches, knocking three or four in a row."

Carli Starkel was also big, smacking 27 kills over the five games. Senior Allison Crenshaw added seven aces and nine kills and Jordan Strozzi added three aces.

And while the Maidens showed improvement, Ropp stressed that they still have plenty of things to work on.

"We're still looking for a rhythm," he said, "and there is still a lot to learn and a long way to go. But this was a good start."