Kelley strong for Polson

WHITEFISH - Whitefish is a loud place to play. Polson volleyball head coach Jan Toth knows first hand. She led Whitefish to their first state championship in volleyball in 1989, so you might say that last Thursday's matchup was a bit of a homecoming for her.

That's if you consider a gym full of loud volleyball fans home.

"It's never easy," Toth said of the noise. "It's not an easy job at all."

However, Toth had a mute button. Something you wouldn't expect to see on a remote, but rather a 5'9" senior outside hitter in Breanne Kelley.

"If there was anything that would quiet the crowd it was Breanne Kelley," Toth said.

That was key in the 25-10, 25-21, 21-25, 25-14 victory over Whitefish for the Pirates (1-0). Kelley had 23 kills and was unshakeable, regardless of the crowd.

"Breanne is an all-around player," Toth said. "She was on the court and she would tune out the crowd. She really, really is a fantastic volleyball player. Breanne is fun to watch, she's competitive and has great composure."

While Kelley was somewhat in the shadow of last year's senior Nicole Davy, Toth said she was just as good or better.

"Nobody watched her last year," Toth said.

However, it's now Kelley's turn to be the leader of the team, and she certianly had the skills to do that.

"This is her year, it was fun to watch her come out of her shell," Toth said. "I saw that last night [against Whitefish]. She's a quiet leader on the course and she's well respected by the conference and she knows she wouldn't be there without her teammates."

Senior setter Kayla Duford was one of those teammates, leading the team with 40 assists and 17 digs. She also had five kills.

Polson will play in the Tip-off Tournament this weekend in Whitefish.