The Lady Falcons of Florence are young but don’t let that fool you, they are very experienced and polished team. Florence graduated almost all of their starters last year, with only a couple of players seeing much time at all last year. However that just made them work harder in the off season said coach Jeff Mahler.
“We probably played more matches this summer than we ever have,” he said. “We spent a lot of time in the off season in open gym. We had some good scrimmages and good tournaments.”
The time in the gym is paying off. Mahler said his team is making good decisions and understanding what needs to be done. Rylie Hawkins has stepped into the setter position and is beginning to understand her role.
“It’s really funny because I’m calling what I want her to do, just to myself, and I’ve noticed all of a sudden that she’s making the decisions I want. It’s awesome to see that. I don’t have to tell her every time, she’s just doing it right.”
Florence defeated Loyola on Thursday in three games. Megan Byrne had seven kills and Megan Kowalskie had four blocks in the rivalry match.
Florence def. Loyola, 25-21, 25-19, 25-16.
Kills – Florence 20 (Megan Byrne 7), Loyola 21 (Shannon Eppard 7). Blocks – Florence 8 (Megan Kowalskie 4), Loyola 0. Digs – Florence 57 (Kristyne Drozdz 17), Loyola 68 (Olivia Round 29). Assists – Florence 20 (Rylie Hawkins 19), Loyola 22 (Sadie Crippen 19). Aces – Florence 8 (Brittnie Heffner 3), Loyola 3 (Kristen Elliott 2).
On Saturday, the lady Falcons defeated Bigfork in three games. Byrne had four aces and Kristyne Drozdz had 25 digs.
Florence def. Bigfork 25-14, 25-16, 25-14.
Kills – Bigfork 21 (Abby Amidon 5), Florence 33 (Sabrina Hopdrost 13). Blocks – Bigfork 4 (Amidon 1), Florence 0. Digs – Bigfork 43 (Alanis Stallknight 15), Florence 62 (Kristyne Drozdz 25). Assists – Bigfork 18 (Josie Gibson 12), Florence 31 (Rylie Hawkins 29). Aces – Bigfork 5 (Stallknight 2), Florence 12 (Megan Byrne 4).
Hamilton def. Dillon, 25-21, 25-22, 25-19.
Kills – Hamilton 24 (Penny Gwynn 11), Dillon 27 (Josee Pendleton 10). Blocks – Hamilton 15 (Ellie Hurlbert 8), Dillon 5 (Pendleton 3). Digs – Hamilton 53 (Gwynn 14), Dillon 63 (Taryn Judge, Holly Anderson 16). Assists – Hamilton 14 (Makayla Horvath 13), Dillon 20 (Allie Morstein 20). Aces – Hamilton 7 (Gwynn 3), Dillon 5 (Anderson 2).
Corvallis def. Anaconda 25-18, 25-14, 25-20
Kills – Corvallis 45 (Joanna Avery 13), Anaconda 17 (Taylor Flynn 7). Blocks – Corvallis 5 (Avery 4), Anaconda 4 (Natasha Strommen 3). Digs – Corvallis 60 (Katie Patterson 18), Anaconda 33 (Flynn 10). Assists – Corvallis 36 (Alex Price 26), Anaconda 13. Aces – Corvallis 9 (Irwin 6), Anaconda 4.
Drummond def. Victor 25-15, 25-1, 25-12.
Kills – Victor 21 (Michaela Portner 5), Drummond 34 (Frankie Bignell 14). Blocks – Victor 4 (Amber Ibey 3), Drummond 3 (Bignell 2). Digs – Victor 38 (Payton Tillotson 10), Drummond 18 (Bignell 8). Assists – Victor 21 (Tillotson 19), Drummond 25 (Sabrina Shows 22). Aces – Victor 4 (Tillotson 3), Drummond 6 (Sam Henderson 4).