New-look Maidens have good weekend

WHITEFISH - Ronan's new volleyball coach Naomi Mock liked what she saw over the weekend during the Whitefish volleyball tournament last Saturday. Her squad went 5-3 and finished second in Pool A of the event.

"I was very pleased," Mock said. "They came together as a team."

With eight games, and just a half hour between each matchup, it was a bit of a marathon for the Ronan athletes.

"It tested their endurance and their mental capabilities to stay focused throughout the day," Mock said.

The team lost its first game against Libby 25-17, 25-21, but after that, the Maidens put in some impressive performances.

"The first game was kind of the jitters," Mock said. "It was the first reality moment."

Ronan followed its Libby loss with a split with Bigfork 25-16, 22-25, and then won their last two matchups against Whitefish 25-15, 25-21 and Flathead Home 25-14, 25-17.

Junior Tuesday Salmon was solid for Ronan behind the line, serving up 10 aces for the tournament.

She also led the team in kills with 20.

The Maidens pulled everything together and finished with the fourth best record out of ten teams in the tournament.

Ronan will host Stevensville at 4:15 p.m. on Sept. 2 at home. Then they'll play Columbia Falls at 4:15 p.m. on Sept. 3 at home.