It took Hamilton five games to win the match but they came away with the win over rival Stevensville. Coach Jordan Carver said her team really played together well and felt that was the defining factor in the win.
“There was no one particular person,” she said. “Everyone really came together and played well.”
Hamilton took the first game with strong serving and tough play at the net. Camas Cratty served up some strong balls that both teams kept in play. Hamilton won, 25-19.
The second game started out much the same but then Stevensville’s Ellie Hendrickson stepped up to serve with the score at 20-19. She relied upon her teammates to keep the ball in play and they did. Aliyah Anderson had two kills as did Kennedy Praast in four serves. Stevensville took that win, 20-25.
Stevensville took an early lead in the third game before Cratty stepped up to serve. Coupled with a strong defensive play at the net, Hamilton put up a five point lead before Stevensville served again. The Lady ‘Jackets crept back into the game with Anderson making a block and a kill but it wasn’t enough as Hamilton won Game 3, 25-23.
Hamilton again took an early lead in the fourth game and were ahead by as many as five points before Stevensville closed the gap. Volleyball is a game of momentum and when that momentum shifted to Stevensville, they took full advantage. Praast had a kill and finished up the game with four points including an ace to end the game at 25-19.
Katelyn Dickemore of Hamilton had three aces in a row in Game 5 to give the Lady Broncs the edge and the momentum. With only 15 points needed to win the game and the match, there is no room for error in the fifth game. Hamilton was up by six points before Stevensville was able to slow things down. Praast and Hendrickson did make some stops at the net but they couldn’t gain any momentum. Hamilton went on to take Game 5, 15-10, and win the match.
Hamilton def. Stevensville 25-19,20-25, 25-23, 19-25, 15-10
Hamilton: Kills 31 (Camas Cratty 12). Blocks 7 (Layne Kearns 6). Digs 79 (Katelyn Dickemore 20). Assists 29 (Dickemore 24). Aces 12 (Dickemore 7).
Stevensville: Kills 58 (Aliyah Anderson 14, Kennedy Praast 14). Blocks 7 (Praast 3, Mackaela Hawthorne 2). Digs 82 (Daphne Engle 19,Kelti Wandler 16). Assists 39 (Maddie Weber 33, Engel 5). Aces 5 (Praast 3).
Corvallis continued to put up wins in the Southwest A conference with a three-game sweep of Dillon. Madeline Gilder had seven kills, 12 diggs and six aces in the win.
Corvallis def. Dillon 25-12, 25-20, 25-11
Dillon: Kills 13, (Petersen 4, Shipman 5). Blocks (Rondeau, Hansen). Assists 13 (Ruegsegger 10). Digs 34 (Petersen 5, Shipman 6, Rondeau 8). Aces 4 (Petersen 2).
Corvallis: Kills 22 (Madeline Gilder 7). Blocks 5 (Brooklyn Powell 3). Assists 18 (Powell 17). Digs 41 (Gilder 12). Aces 14 (Gilder 6).
Darby picked up their first win of the season with a 3-2 win over Clark Fork. America Bargus finished with three kills, a block, two digs, and two aces. Amber Anderson had 15 kills, three blocks and two aces.
Darby def. Clark Fork 26-24, 25-27, 27-25, 18-25, 15-9
Clark Fork: Kills 30 (Reese 18). Blocks 4 (Reese 2). Assists 25 (Green 14). Digs 44. Aces 14 (Milender 4).
Darby: Kills – Makena Hawkins 7, Keyia Goodwin 2, Brinya Child 7, America Bargus 3, Amber Anderson 15. Blocks – Goodwin 2, Child 1, Bargus 1, Anderson 3. Assists – Hawkins1, Goodwin 11, Conner 2. Digs – Hawkins 1, Joslyn Graham 2, Goodwin 1, Conner 20, Mary Browning 1, Bargus 2, Anderson 8, Berry 1. Aces – Goodwin 1, Conner 2, Child 2, Bargus 2, Anderson 2.