Bulldogs double their pleasure

Whitefish repeats as Class A volleyball champs

BOZEMAN Its becoming a tradition at Whitefish High School.

Last season, when the Bulldogs won the Class A volleyball championship, sophomore Ashley Ferda and seniors Tracy Schwada and Erin Greiner sneaked up on head coach Jackie Fuller and gave her the old Gatorade shower.

They did it again on Saturday.

Minutes after knocking off Havre in the finals at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, the same three culprits came up behind Fuller as she was doing a TV interview and doused her in ice cold water. Despite the near frigid temperatures outside, Fuller didnt mind in the least.

Ill take a shower like this anytime, Fuller said.

It feels great.

Maybe Ferdas teammates should have saved the bucket for her, because she was absolutely on fire. The outside hitter had a match-high 12 kills, including a thundering hit to close out Game 2 as Whitefish swept the Blue Ponies 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-12) to win its second straight state title, completing an undefeated season in the process.

This is such an amazing feeling, said Ferda, who also led the team with 17 digs along with senior teammate Jessie Conners. Weve been working so hard for this all season.

And Ashley wasnt the only Ferda who came up big against Havre. Her cousin, Courtney, was second on the team with 10 kills, as the Bulldogs out-hit Havre 44-26 in the match.

Its so much fun playing next to her (Ashley), said Courtney, a junior. We may be cousins, but were more like sisters.

Neither Ferda may be very tall (Ashley is 5-foot-5 and Courtney 5-6), but their dominance at the net is undeniable. Its ironic that Fuller described the pair as low-key, because, man, can they fly high.

Wow, those Ferdas can jump, Fuller said. They both see the floor so well and they know what to do with the ball. Im proud of the way they played tonight.

At the outset of the match, it looked like it was anyones to win. The first game was nip-and-tuck, with Whitefish finally pulling away, and in Game 2, Havre seemed to have the momentum after jumping out to an 8-3 lead. Fuller wasnt worried, though; she didnt feel her team even needed a break.

Its a waste of a timeout, Fuller said. They know what they need to do; they dont need to hear it from me.

Courtney Ferda agreed.

We know how to get ourselves pumped up, she said.

Once we were able to do that we were fine.

And once the Bulldogs won the first two games, the match was all but over. Whitefish never trailed in Game 3, winning easily 25-12. Fuller credits the easy third game to the Bulldog faithful, who could be heard throughout the gym.

Once we switched sides and got the fans behind us again, thats all we needed, Fuller said. They were so unbelievable tonight.

Though the Ferdas were at the forefront with their tremendous hitting, several Whitefish players chipped in solid efforts, including seniors Mandy McFadden (41 assists, 3 aces, 2 blocks), Tracy Schwada (9 kills, 6 blocks), Greiner (2 blocks) and junior Kali Schmidt (2 aces).

Although Whitefish graduates seven seniors (Schwada, Conners, McFadden, Greiner, Sabrya Martin, Leah Powell and Shalyn Aurand), Fuller feels her team can make another run next season.

We have some great players coming back and our JV team went undefeated, she said. The future looks bright.

Stats

Aces Whitefish 7 (Mandy McFadden 3, Jessie Conners

2, Kali Schmidt 2), Havre 3 (Alexa Lipp 1, Kelsey

Evans 1, Liz Handy 1); Kills Whitefish 44 (Ashley

Ferda 12, Courtney Ferda 10), Havre 27 (Signe Hillson

8); Assists Whitefish 44 (McFadden 41), Havre 26

(Lipp 26); Blocks Whitefish 11 (Tracy Schwada 6),

Havre 2 (Handy 1); Digs Whitefish 79 (Conners 17,

Ashley Ferda 17), Havre 42 (Evans 9, Keelie Soloman 8,

Lena Suek 8)

Class B

Missoula Loyola def. Eureka 3-2 (18-25, 25-27, 25-21, 25-21, 15-12)

What a difference a day makes.

After being swept by Loyola Sacred Heart on Friday, Eureka had the Breakers on the ropes, taking the first two games. However, Loyola responded to win three straight games, including 15-12 in Game 5, to take the Class B title.

Despite the loss, Lions coach Rhonda Hammond wasnt the least bit disappointed.

This was such incredible volleyball from both teams, said Hammond, whose team handed Loyola its only two losses of the season. Both teams played their hearts out. This is the way the game should be played.

The match was back-and-forth throughout, Hammond said, because of the outstanding hitting of both teams, which combined for 115 kills (Loyola 63, Eureka 52).

We just kept trading points, she said.

Several Eureka players had outstanding efforts in the loss, including junior Amy Roberts (29 kills, 18 digs, 5 blocks), seniors Ali Zauner (46 assists, 13 digs) and Sarah Flannary (13 kills), sophomore Mel Finch (13 digs) and freshman Briann Linnell (7 blocks). But in the end, Loyolas height proved too much.

You try to put up a wall in the net, and theyre tall enough to hit right over it, Hammond said of the Breakers, who feature three players 6-1 or taller.

Despite the loss of several seniors (Whitney Benedict, Chelsea Workman, Zauner, Flannary and Rachel Berlin-Allaire), Hammond doesnt expect much of a drop-off next season.

Our kids will work hard in the gym. Well be fine next year, she said.

Stats

Aces Eureka 11 (Amy Roberts 5), Loyola 8 (Sammy

Priddy 3, Amy DeGroot 2, Sara Smith 2); Kills Eureka

52 (Roberts 29), Loyola 63 (DeGroot 32); Assists

Eureka 47 (Ali Zauner 46), Loyola 56 (Bethany Mansch

32); Blocks Eureka 13 (Briann Linnell 7), Loyola 24

(Priddy 12); Digs Eureka 64 (Roberts 18), Loyola 53

(Smith 19, DeGroot 17)