Lady Pirates volleyball win second consecutive match

The Polson Pirates volleyball team won their second consecutive match in five sets against Columbia Falls Thursdaynight at Columbia Falls High School.

The Lady Pirates won in five sets 21-25, 25-21, 25-16, 16-25, 15-12.

Polson was led by Kaelyn Smith’s18 kills and one block. Kyler Lundeen had 27 of the team’s 77 digs. Setter Laurel Bitterman had 22 of the team’s 36 assists and also led the team with four kills in the victory.

Maidens face top-tier teams in Class A

The Ronan Maidens volleyball team had the unenviable task of playing the top two-ranked teams in Class A volleyball back-to-back.

Earlier in the week, the Maidens played Whitefish and lost 12-25, 10-25, 9-25 in three sets to lose the match Tuesday at Ronan.

Maidens volleyball coach Charla Lake said she is still working with her team to get them more aggressive.

“They played us tough and our girls just need to learn to be a little bit more aggressive,” Lake said. “They just weren’t as aggressive against Whitefish. They needed to be more aggressive to try to win that game and attack back.”

Madison Clairmont led the team with five kills, setter Tiana Ulutoa had 16 assists, and Haylee Walchuk finished with 14 of the team’s 58 digs.

The Maidens then played Libby for their homecoming matchSaturday at the Ronan Events Center.

The Lady Loggers, considered by many area coaches are one of the top-contending teams to win the Class A state championship title, swept the Maidens in three sets 18-25, 19-25, 10-25.

Louetta Conko-Camel, Marissa Mock, and Regan Clairmont each had two kills. Madeline McCrea had two blocks assisted by Clairmont, Tiana Ulutoa had seven assists, and Conko-Camel finished with nine of the team’s 45 digs and two aces.

Lake said she felt her team grew significantly from playing the top-tier teams in Class A this week.

“I was proud of the girls for improving,” Lake said. “We played a lot better against Libby than we did against Whitefish. We just executed better.”