Lady Pirates volleyball players ready for new challenge

A lot was made about how this year’s reclassification realignment will affect the dynamics of football but the Polson Lady Pirates volleyball team will also feel the change as they prepare for their season opening tip-off tournament Friday and Saturday at Frenchtown High School.

The Lady Pirates will now have to compete against Browning, Libby, and Ronan on top of playing other teams such as Columbia Falls and Whitefish. Lady Pirates coach Patricia Luetzen said the district has nearly doubled in size.

“I don’t know a lot about Ronan, Libby and Browning (headed into the season opener),” Luetzen said. “I feel like this breaths new life into the (conference and division) and makes it a more competitive field.”

This season, Luetzen and her Lady Pirates will have several impact players returning from last year that will look to contribute to the team in bigger ways. Luetzen stated she was “excited” about the three seniors including Kyler Lundeen, Laurel Bitterman and Kaelyn Smith.

Bitterman will be one of two setters that will play in the Pirates’ 6-2 offense. Bitterman will join Jaycee Frydenlund, a junior transfer from Cut Bank, this season.

Smith will be a presence in the middle for the Lady Pirates as the team’s middle hitter. Junior Mikaela DuCharme will be an outside hitter for the Lady Pirates. The Lady Pirates will have some fierce competition at the defensive specialist position. Junior Shae McGuinness will battle it out for playing time in a crowded defensive specialist team. Other defensive specialists will include Kaylanna DesJarlais and Kaylee Evertz.

Paige Noyes will be one of the varsity outside hitters and will join Kyla Blixt. Olivia Perez will also compete for playing time at the outside hitter position as well as new comer sophomore Grace Quinones.

Luetzen put an emphasis on conditioning her players in the off season for the rigors of a season that will consist of several matches.

“This is the best shape that I’ve seen our Polson volleyball team in,” Luetzen said. “They really have to shape all of those joints and make sure that they don’t get overused, which can cause injuries.”

Luetzen credits Melinda Owen, an Olympic pole vaulter, for introducing an intense training regime to the Lady Pirates.

“We are building athletes and programs,” Luetzen stated.

Luetzen will have a stable of assistant coaches this year including Lizzy Cox, Kevin Owen and volunteer assistant Mariah Newell.

One barometer Luetzen uses to gauge her team’s progress is how they did at the end of last season. After careful statistical analysis, Luetzen concluded that her team, the key components that are returning to this year’s squad, really started to hit their stride at the end of last year.

Last year the Lady Pirates finished strong in the postseason and finished state divisionals with a record of 2-2.

Luetzen said she felt where he team finished last season will be indictive of where they start the 2017 campaign that begins this Friday at Frenchtown.

“They really developed a comfort zone playing at the varsity level,” Luetzen said. “The way they finished really gave us the best chance at the end.”