Fourth-place finish at districts brings early end to a promising season for Lady Vikings

ARLEE — Despite coming into the District 10-C tournament with the No. 2 seed, the Lady Vikings’ divisional hopes were dashed after splitting four games and finishing in fourth place over the weekend in Arlee.

ARLEE — Despite coming into the District 10-C tournament with the No. 2 seed, the Lady Vikings’ divisional hopes were dashed after splitting four games and finishing in fourth place over the weekend in Arlee.

It was a frustrating end to what was a solid season for Charlo according to head coach Sheryl Kain, who said she “was hoping we would do better” in the tournament, but still was able to take away some positives from the team’s performance.

“I was kind of disappointed how we ended it up, but the girls gave it their all,” Kain said. “I think they gave it their best effort and we just came up short.”

The Lady Vikings got out to a fast start on Friday with a quick sweep of the overmatched Two Eagle River School 25-8, 25-8, 25-12.

Charlo’s reserves saw most of the action in this match, as Kain rested many of the starters after the first set.

Haley Berkram stood out with four aces and two kills, while Sienna Brown and Alyssa Doty also posted two kills apiece.

Meanwhile, Aspen Runkel turned in two of the team’s four digs in the match and Madison Foust came away with three assists to lead Charlo.

After breezing past the Eagles, the Lady Vikings suffered their first setback of the tournament, falling to third-seeded Hot Springs on Friday 25-21, 20-25, 25-14, 25-22.

Though the Savage Heat possessed no size advantage, they were still able to overpower the Lady Vikings with 14 blocks and 37 kills in the match.

Hot Springs’ 13 aces were also too much to overcome for Charlo, which produced just one ace by comparison, scored by Michaela Krahn.

Rachel Hoyt topped the Lady Vikings with six kills, while also matching Krahn for the team lead in digs with 10 apiece. Hoyt, Brown and Derika Stipe each had a block in the match as well.

Stipe would also collect a team-high eight assists against the Savage Heat, who would go on to capture the tournament title.

Though Noxon wouldn’t make it easy, Charlo kept its divisional chances alive on Saturday by eliminating the persistent No. 5 seed Red Devils 25-19, 21-25, 25-17, 26-24.

The Lady Vikings managed to overcome 20 blocks by Noxon to collect the victory, again led by Hoyt, who finished with 22 digs and 12 kills for the match.

Runkel came away with four blocks, while Stipe led the team in assists again with 14. Laura Reich notched three of the team’s 10 aces to lead Charlo.

The win had things going in the Lady Vikings favor once again, but it was all spoiled by top-seeded Superior, which knocked Charlo out of the tournament and out of a shot at divisionals with a 3-1 victory, 23-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-18.

Runkel led the Lady Vikings with eight kills, while Berkram turned in a team-high 10 assists. Jordan Ludeman also got into the mix with nine digs to top the team.

Stipe tallied two blocks and an ace, while Hoyt also had an ace in the match.

The loss put an end to Charlo’s hot-and-cold tournament play, which may have been the most difficult pill to swallow for the talented Lady Vikings.

“We all had moments where we played really well,” Kain said. “I just wish we could have kept up that momentum the whole time.”

Despite the season’s disappointing ending Kain said there was still “a lot to be thankful for” this year, as the players were a “good group” and “a lot of fun to be around,” but most of all shined through their perseverance.

“I’m proud of how the girls played, they worked hard for me,” Kain said. “There were a lot of times that they could have given up on the things I would make them do trying to get them ready to play, but they tolerated it and I thank them for all their hard work.”

The team now faces the daunting task of trying to replace five seniors before next season, starting with Hoyt and Stipe, who played a big role in the program’s success the last four seasons.

“Having them as your core was nice to build around,” Kain said. “Rachel and Derika stepped in and were really good leaders for the whole team.”

Reich, an exchange student, and Berkram, who moved to Charlo last year, are also leaving behind major voids in the starting lineup despite playing for the Lady Vikings just one season.

“They definitely added a lot to our team,” Kain said. “They didn’t really have careers here, but it was definitely nice to have them.”

Key reserve Trinda Foust also graduates this year, and with the other four seniors makes for a significant blow to the team’s roster.

“They’ll be missed,” Kain said. “It’s another big class gone and we’ll have a lot of shoes to fill. It’ll be tough, so hopefully the underclassmen can step in and make it an easy transition.”

Kain believes the returning players have the ability to make up for what they are losing in this year’s seniors, but said there will be “a lot of hard work involved” before they can get there.

“There’s a lot of work to do from where we ended and where we need to be by next year,” Kain said. “I think the underclassmen are up for it, it’s just a matter of how much time they put in.”