The Florence volleyball team only lost two matches all year, both to Colstrip. The Lady Falcons opened against Colstrip on Thursday at the Class B state tournament in Bozeman. Colstrip came into the tournament as the No. 3 seed from the south. Huntley Project and Red Lodge were seeded No. 1 and No. 2 from the south. Florence was the No. 1 seed from the west. When the final ball had been served in the tournament, the south had cleaned up. Red Lodge was the champion, Huntley Project was second and Colstrip came in third. Florence finished fourth.
Florence lost to Colstrip, 3-1, in their opening game. Although the first two matches were close, Florence could not turn the momentum in their favor. Colstrip won the first two games by a total margin of seven points. But then Florence came back and won the third game. But the Lady Falcons couldn’t overcome and lost game four and the match. As she had done all season, Sabrina Hopcroft led the Lady Falcons with 23 kills. Hunter Doty picked up 24 digs and had three aces.
Florence def. Colstrip, 25-21, 25-23, 19-25, 25-19.
Kills – Florence 45 (Sabrina Hopcroft 23), Colstrip 46. Blocks – Florence 8 (Jessica Dufresne 4), Colstrip 9. Digs – Florence 91 (Hunter Doty 24), Colstrip 86. Assists – Florence 44 (Rylie Hawkins 41), Colstrip 41. Aces – Florence 6 (Doty 3), Colstrip 10 .
Florence moved into the loser’s bracket where they played Fairfield, the No.2 seed from the north. Fairfield had lost to Red Lodge on Thursday. Florence came out determined to win and after a close first game, went on to win that game and the next two. Jessica Dufresne and Megan Kowalski each had two blocks and Doty had four aces.
Florence def. Fairfield, 25-22, 25-17, 25-10.
Kills – Florence 39 (Hopcroft 18), Fairfield 24. Blocks – Florence 7 (Dufresne 2, Megan Kowalski 2), Fairfield 13. Digs – Florence 56 (Hopcroft 17), Fairfield 31. Assists – Florence 39 (Hawkins 37), Fairfield 24. Aces – Florence 10 (Hunter Doty 4), Fairfield 1.
Florence then went up against a team they had played several times this season, Thompson Falls, the No. 3 team from the western division. The Bluehawks came out strongly and took the first game, 22-25. But then Florence settled down and played their game. Although each game was close, Florence won the next three games and the match. Kowalski had eight blocks and Hopcroft had 25 digs.
Florence def. Thompson Falls, 22-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-23 .
Kills – Florence 50 (Hopcroft 18), Thompson Falls 30. Blocks – Florence 14 (Kowalski 8), Thompson Falls 13. Digs – Florence 77 (Hopcroft 25), Thompson Falls 58 Assists – Florence 50 (Hawkins 45), Thompson Falls 26. Aces – Florence 7 (Hunter Doty 3), Thompson Falls 2.
That win propelled the Lady Falcons into another match against Colstrip on Friday night. The winner advanced to play for a chance to go on to the championship, the loser finished in fourth place in the state tournament. Florence started out playing tough and won the first game, and then the second. However Colstrip made a few adjustments and came back to win the next three games and take the match.
Colstrip def. Florence, 21-25, 17-25, 25-18, 25-16, 15-7.
Kills – Colstrip 50, Florence 55 (Hopcroft 23). Blocks – Colstrip 13, Florence 10 (Kowalski 4). Digs – Colstrip 79, Florence 94 (Hopcroft 26). Assists – Colstrip 44, Florence 55 (Hawkins 53). Aces – Colstrip 8, Florence 5 (5 with 1).