Ronan Volleyball: Just one win away

COLUMBIA FALLS - The best time to turn some heads and make a

statement is the postseason. The resurgent Ronan Maidens certainly

did that this weekend in their opening-round matchup against

Whitefish last Friday.

COLUMBIA FALLS - The best time to turn some heads and make a statement is the postseason. The resurgent Ronan Maidens certainly did that this weekend in their opening-round matchup against Whitefish last Friday.

"It was a huge battle," Ronan head coach Naomi Mock said.

Whitefish had been one of the top teams in the conference all year, with only Polson being their superior. Their fans, players and coaches brought a high energy to the game and the tradition of six state championships. Ronan never blinked. They handed Whitefish a 3-2 defeat with scores of 25-16, 25-21, 17-25, 19-25, 15-7.

"We did our job," Mock said. "We had a lot of hit at-tempts and digs."

Senior libero Marissa McCrea had 29 digs in the match to back up senior hitter Tailyr Irvine, who provided offense with 21 kills.That set the stage for a second-round matchup with the Polson Lady Pirates as a berth in the state tournament was on the line.

"With the rivalry, it be-comes a little more mental," Mock said.

Like the matches dur-ing the season, the Maidens played the Lady Pirates tough, but fell 3-0, 22-25, 22-25, 17-25. Senior hitter Alice Van Gunten had nine kills for the Maidens, while senior Taylor Lynch had 15 assists in the match.

On Saturday, Ronan faced Whitefish once again and despite coming out strong and losing the first game by a hair, 23-25, the Maidens would drop the next two 20-25, 16-25 in a 3-0 loss to end the season.

"Whitefish has this great ability to create their own momentum," Mock said.

The Maidens did finish the season with a third place finish in the regular season and the district tournament, signaling a huge turnaround for the volleyball program in Mock's first year as head coach.

"I just want the program to succeed," Mock said. "I really came into it wanting to have the girls love the game."

While the Maidens will lose five seniors to gradu-ation, there is a plethora of young talent.

"I have a good outlook that next year will be even better," Mock, who wanted to thank all the fans, parents and players this season, said.