The volleyball match between Stevensville and Hamilton got off to a late start after both the freshman and the junior varsity matches went to five games. That should have been a warning for the varsity match as well.
Stevensville came out playing tough and serving well. The Yellowjackets mixed up their play at the net in the first game and came out with a 25-13 win. But Hamilton adjusted their game and began blocking more and pushed through for the 24-26 win in the second game.
“They block really well,” said Stevensville coach Julie Hinson. “I was surprised at that. They’re really scrappy and I wasn’t expecting the blocking that they did. They shut down some of our hitters and we’ll be ready for that next time.”
Stevensville came back to win the third game, 25-16 but Hamilton once again rallied and came back in a marathon game to win, 28-30. Stevensville had the lead at 24 but then Hamilton tied the game back up. Stevensville scored again, but then Hamilton scored again to keep the spread within one point. Finally Hamilton pulled ahead and then scored again to win that game. After regrouping, with fatigue setting in, the two teams battled in the fifth game with Stevensville coming out on top, 15-11.
“They (Stevensville) don’t know how to win and we’re trying to get that figured out and working on that in practice a lot,” said Hinson. “We’re trying to get them excited to be winners and get them to play to win and not play to not lose.”
Hinson went on to say that many of the Yellowjacket’s service errors were nerves. “I told them they had to learn to not be nervous.”
Stevensville def. Hamilton, 25-13, 24-26, 25-16, 28-30, 15-11
Kills – Hamilton 31 (Tristy Searle 7, Hayley Hudgins 7), Stevensville 56 (Mariah Hinson 17, Mikayla Hall 17). Blocks – Hamilton 8 (Kacia Guisinger 5), Stevensville 3 (Hinson 2). Digs – Hamilton 59 (Searle 10), Stevensville 72 (Cassi Kopsa 25). Assists – Hamilton 24 (Caitlin Dillon 20), Stevensville 40 (Quinn Larson 36). Aces – Hamilton 7 (Three with two), Stevensville 15 (Kopsa 4).
Stevensville lost to the tough Butte Central team in three games on Saturday. They now have a record of 4-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
Butte Central def. Stevensville 25-18, 25-14, 25-13
Kills – Stevensville 20 (Mariah Hinson 10), BC 33. Blocks – Stevensville 0, BC 1. Digs – Stevensville 52 (Cassi Kopsa 17, Abby Austin 11), BC 28. Assists – Stevensville 20 (Quinn Larson 17), BC 29. Aces – Stevensville 5 (Hinson 3), BC 12.
Hamilton defeated Polson for their first win of the season on Saturday.
Hamilton def. Polson, 25-21, 25-22, 22-25, 25-9
Kills – Hamilton 38 (Hayley Hudgins 9), Polson 34. Blocks – Hamilton 17 (Kacia Guisinger 4), Polson 4. Digs – Hamilton 66 (Tristy Searle 11, Caitlin Dillon 11), Polson 43. Assists – Hamilton 27 (Dillon 24), Polson n/a. Aces – Hamilton 6 (Guisinger 6), Polson 13.
Corvallis maintained their lead in the Southwest A conference with a win over Butte Central. The Blue Devils had 47 kills and eight blocks to lead the way. They now have a 2-0 conference record and are 4-1 overall.
Corvallis def. Butte Central, 25-18, 25-23, 23-25, 25-20
Kills – BC 32, Corvallis 47 (Maureen Jessop 14, Charlotte Powell 13). Blocks – BC 6, Corvallis 8 (Jessop 4). Digs – BC 62, Corvallis 74 (Kenzie Jessop 26). Assists – BC 32, Corvallis 39 (Kate Hurlbert 29). Aces – BC 10, Corvallis 6 (M. Jessop 2, Ashley Hornaday 2).
Florence continued their dominance of the conference with sweep of St. Ignatius on Friday night. Let by Hudsyn and Hunter Doty DiBrito, the Lady Falcons kept the pressure on the net and didn’t let many balls get past them. They also dropped in 21 aces.
Florence def. St. Ignatius, 25-8, 25-10, 25-11
Kills – Mission 12, Florence 27 (Hudsyn Doty 7, Megan Kowalski 7). Blocks – Mission 3, Florence 2 (Kourtney Kohlman 1, Kowalski). Digs – Mission 28, Florence 27 (Hunter Doty 13). Assists – Mission 7, Florence 23 (Shay Waldbillig). Aces – Mission 1, Florence 21 (Hunter Doty 6, Shannon Byrne 6).