Lady Pirates volleyball coming together at end of season

Polson High School volleyball coach Patty Luetzen has elevated expectations for her Lady Pirates as they head into the final stretch of the regular season.

Luetzen has a new goal that she is setting for her team. She would like to qualify for the Class A state volleyball divisional this season and after that is achieved, then shoot for a bid at state.

“This is something that we need to do,” Luetzen said. “I wouldn’t be happy with our end result if we didn’t get to divisional. My goal and every kid’s goal on our team is to go to state. We have to work towards getting through every step and evaluate and look at how our best chance is to achieve it.”

All season, Luetzen has had one specific date marked on her calendar in hopes her and her team would solidify where they want to be at the end of the season.

That dates are Oct. 19 and 20 when the Lady Pirates will finish out their regular season at the Missoula Invitational.

“I always look at the Missoula Invitational as our last chance to try new things,” Luetzen said. “This year, we are going to try to call up two freshman hitters to the varsity and see if they have the ability to make a difference. I want to give them a chance to have some experience and to give them a chance. We need some hitting as we go into the tournament but our ball handling is solid.”

Luetzen was complimentary to Mikaela DuCharme, who she said she felt is coming into her own as the end of the regular season draws near.

“She had a great night against Stevi and Browning, and she pulled in some nice at the end of the season,” Luetzen said.

Luetzen also noted the play of her three seniors: Kyler Lundeen, Laurel Bitterman and Kaelyn Smith.

“The seniors have come together and we have a nice libero-hitter combo,” Luetzen said. “I hope that really works as we head into the postseason because we’ve all worked really hard to make that happen. We continue to just iron out the rough spots and several players on our team are learning what it takes to become a leader. They are learning to lead by example and they are learning what it really means to be a senior.”

The Lady Pirates continue to prepare for next week as they get ready for the postseason. Luetzen said she felt her team has a lot of continuity as they prepare to head into the postseason play.

“We continue to work on getting ready for next week and we will practice all of the teams together,” Luetzen said. “It’s been a different type of practice atmosphere and it will keep it fresh for us.”