Maidens, Lady Bulldogs meet each other in first match of District volleyball Tournament in Florence
<p><strong>RONAN MAIDENS Shaina Snyder (4)</strong> and <strong>Louetta Conko-Camel (5)</strong> attempt to block a Mission High School player attack in a regular-season match Thursday at Mission High School. The Maidens and Lady Bulldogs will face each other in the first-round of Districts at Florence High School.</p>
<p>MISSION VOLLEYBALL player Arianna Rossi attempts to block Alicia Camel's kill attempt in a regular-season match Thursday night at Mission High School.</p>
<p>RONAN HIGH School player <strong>Lee Camel</strong> attempts to block a Mission High School volleyball players attempt at a kill attempt by <strong>Addison Arlint</strong> in Thursday's regular-season match at Mission High School.</p>
RONAN — The Ronan High School volleyball team will begin its post season with a familiar opponent, their conference rival Mission High School beginning this Friday at Florence High School.
“I feel like we are peaking at the right time,” Ronan Maidens’ volleyball coach Charla Lake said. “Some other teams have peaked earlier in the season and we just seem to get better every game. We changed our lineups and big made big changes. They seemed to work for us and we are playing a lot better than we did at the beginning of the season.”
Lake, whose Maidens were challenged by Mission earlier in the season, said she felt the hard-fought victory against the Lady Bulldogs during their homecoming week in Ronan shows how she feels how her team deals with adversity and is reflected in the growth of her team.
“I could tell the maturity of our team and close to the end of the Mission matches, our team wasn’t playing frantic,” Lake said. “They played calm and collected, and they finished the game and stayed calm. “We talk more about controlling their emotions during the game. (In volleyball), emotion is a big thing and how you react to your emotion is a major part in whether you win or lose. They are maturing into a quality team and they don’t let their emotions overrun them.”
In the tournament, the Maidens received the No. 4 spot and the Mission Lady Bulldogs received the No. 5 spot headed into District. Florence, the host-team, captured the No. 1 overall seed. Anaconda has the No. 2 seed, Deer Lodge has the No. 3, and Loyola has the No. 6-overall seed in this double-elimination tournament format.
Florence, the team with the No. 1 seed, is one of the best teams but according to Lake is “beatable.”
“They are just solid and they have great team skill all the way around,” Lake said. “I don’t feel like they are unbeatable but they have a winning attitude and they’ve been at the top of the District for as long as I can remember. They have always had a solid program and have had a winning attitude that helps them finish.”
Lake commented on the No. 2 seeded Anaconda team that will be will another tough out in the Districts.
“They are a fightsy group, they get after it, and they dig up,” Lake said. “They dig the ball extremely well. When I see them, I think of great passing.”
Lake thinks it’s anyone’s game in the District Tournament.
“I think coming into District everyone is bringing their ‘A’ game and should be prepared because anyone can take this,” Lake said. “If someone got hot and started killing the ball, any of those can take District.”
Lake said she felt the post season is a chance for a “new start” for several teams.
“You get to come into the District 0-0 regardless of who you are playing,” Lake said. “If you are peaking at the right time, how you did in your season may not even matter. None of these teams want to finish their season at Divisionals. You want to finish your season at state. You get to start all over and that is a new ball game.”