Polson goes 6-2

WHITEFISH - Polson lost their first game of the Whitefish Volleyball tournament last Saturday and never looked back.

"We hadn't even gotten off the bus in that game," Polson head coach Jan Toth said.

After losing to Eureka 25-17, 25-22, they certainly got off the bus for the next six matches as Polson went 6-2 and finished in first place of the Pool B and tied for the best record in the tournament.

Toth had added three new players to the rotation, so that took a little adjustment.

"It's tough to play your first varsity match," she said.

Toth said that offensively, juniors Mackenzie Clay and Ashley Johnson stepped up when teams keyed in on the Pirates' big three, senior Breanne Kelley, junior Riley Kenney and senior Sallie Sams.

"We have a team of big hitters," Toth said. "It's really tough for teams to stop our offense."

There were some mistakes, though. Against Eureka, Polson had 14 missed serves. One very bright spot for the Pirates was junior Kendyall Rochin.

"She dug up some amazing balls and made some good passes," Toth said. "The [team] passing was a lot better than I expected."

Rochin had 49 digs over the weekend for the Pirates.

After losing to Eureka, the team defeated Columbia Falls 25-19, 25-18, Corvallis 25-11, 25-17, and Stillwater 25-20, 25-22.

Senior setter Kayla Duford was also essential for their success, collecting 71 assists on the weekend.

"If they're stopping one of the hitters at the net, she'll run it to the back for the attack," Toth said. "It throws off defenders."

Toth said that she noticed teams were playing up for their games against Polson.

"It's like a state championship when they play us," she said. "Every team that played us, played us at a much higher lever than against everyone else."

Kelly led the teams with 34 kills, while Sams led with 11 blocks. Kelly also led the team with seven aces.

Polson will play at Whitefish at 4:15 p.m. on Sept. 2.