Lady Pirates volleyball drops to Libby, Whitefish

Polson Lady Pirates volleyball coach Patty Luetzen observed a characteristic after her team played at Libby that might make them one of the perennial Class A state championship contenders.

The Libby Lady Loggers, like the Columbia Falls team that won the Class A state championship last season, possess a definitive height advantage over their opponents. According to Luetzen, the Lady Loggers might be even taller.

The Lady Pirates lost to Libby in three games 25-12, 25-17, and 25-17.

“Libby looks like they are going to be the team to beat,” Luetzen said. “They are going to be a lot of fun to watch. The coach has been in the business for a long time and is very deserving to have a gifted team like that.”

Leading the Lady Pirates against Libby was Kaelyn Smith, who had 15 kills and three blocks, Kyler Lundeen had 10 digs, and Laurel Bitterman finished with eight assists.

After the Lady Loggers captured the Frenchtown Invitational on Aug. 31, they have continued to make a statement. Luetzen said she knew her team would have to play exceptional against the Lady Loggers.

“Our team really demonstrated some growth against Libby,” Luetzen said. “We had two games where we scored 17 points against Libby and that wasn’t too bad. We just continue to have really nice defense that is anchored by Kyler Lundeen. She is just a delight to coach and she is good at helping out the younger players. She is helping strengthen our hitters and hitting system.”

Similar to last season, Polson challenged one of the traditional powerhouses in their conference: Whitefish. Though Polson lost in three games 25-10, 29-27, 25-13, they still continued to show progress, Luetzen said.

Smith led the team with six kills, Lundeen had 23 digs, Jaycee Frydenlund had six assists, and Paige Noyes finished with two kills.

“I’ve seen our hitters keeping the ball in play during rallies,” Luetzen said. “Kaelyn is also at the top of her game. I am seeing a lot of improvements in our four juniors and our four seniors. Our serve receive and team coverage have gotten better.”

Currently, Luetzen is still in the process of solidifying her roster and still mixing and matching the right combination as the Lady Pirates’ record falls to 0-3 overall and 0-2 in the conference.