Volleyball powers reside in the west
By DIXIE KNUTSON
The Daily Inter Lake
Three different class levels, three state tournament volleyball trophies.
Notice was served in volleyball circles around the state last year - volleyball on the western side of Montana is for real.
Whitefish claimed its second straight Class A state title, Eureka was runner-up in Class B and Class AA Flathead brought home a trophy for third place.
All three of those teams graduated key athletes.
But those teams, as well as several other local teams, are loaded with young athletes ready to step up and fulfill their own state tournament dreams.
Flathead
The Bravettes are going forward without the offense of outside hitter Holli Hashley and middle hitter Kristina Ylinen - both are playing college volleyball this year - and without several terrific defensive players.
But "this is a really focused group," said fifth-year head coach Christy Harkins.
They've had a taste of the state tournament and they know just where they faltered last year, Harkins said.
"We have quite a bit of experience returning, especially in our two setters," Harkins said.
Juniors Lindsay Ingram (5-8) and Chaeney Latimer (5-6), both earned all-conference honors last year and both bring different talents to the mix.
"That's huge. They will do very well running the offense," the coach said.
Ingram is "very accurate with setting. Very smart setter. She understands the game," Harkins said.
"Very, very capable of running the offense."
Latimer "has done a great job of running the offense as well," Harkins said.
But it's her defense that sets Latimer apart.
"We call her a little warrior back there. Relentless pursuit."
Chelsea Vaudt, a 6-0 middle hitter, also earned all-conference honors last year.
"She's a dominant presence at the net," the coach said.
"She's learned how to hit that quick so well. Her blocking is very strong," she added.
Others to watch include: Kendalyn Habel, 5-7 outside hitter, Ashley Robinson, 5-5 libero, Ashlea Vaudt, 5-11 right-side hitter, Kelsey Kottraba, 5-3 defensive specialist, Emilee Hashley, 6-0 middle hitter, Shaina Evans, 5-8 middle hitter and Mississippi transfer Britta Thorderson, 5-9 outside hitter.
Harkins expects Butte to be one of the top Western AA teams.
The Bulldogs are "very consistent, well coached" and they return two "outstanding" setters.
"They're a fantastic team," Harkins said.
They'll be at Flathead High School to take on the Bravettes at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Big Sky also returns good size and talented athletes, Capital has strong volleyball tradition and Sentinel returns some promising athletes, she said.
Bigfork
The Bigfork Vals turned their volleyball fortunes around in just two years under coach Yvonne Peck. Bigfork claimed second place in the Northwestern A a year ago and advanced to the Class A state tournament for the first time in seven years.
But the Vals graduated 10 seniors from that (10-3) squad and return just two letterwinners.
"We're young and we need some court time," Peck said.
"Everybody is going to have to start raising their game from that JV level."
The returners are Alyssa Fierro, 6-3 junior middle hitter, and Ashlee Gordon, 5-1 junior setter.
Fierro "uses her size to her advantage. I think she's become a much better blocker," the coach said. Fierro has also added some new shots to her repertoire.
"We just have to learn to utilize that to our advantage when we have her in the front," Peck said.
Gordon will be the "floor general. She's real heady. We'll see how well we can get her the ball and then see about the decision-making," Peck said.
Bigfork plans to run a 6-2 offense with Gordon and either sophomore Quindee Averill (5-5) or junior Avery Vogel (5-7) as the other setter.
"I don't have real big size in my setters. That leaves you real vulnerable at the net," Peck explained as the reason for the 6-2.
Others who will play into the volleyball mix for Bigfork include senior defenders Liz Tegoli (5-3) and Chelsey Petek (5-0), juniors Megan Thole (5-5) and Kayla Jordan (5-4) and sophomore Roxy Thurman (5-5).
The biggest Val strength Peck sees is the friendship among the players.
"It's not an overburden to spend time in a gym together," she said. "They're enthusiastic about things. They're excited about getting better.
"We're just young and we're inexperienced. They haven't seen enough of the game yet."
Peck's thoughts on the Northwestern A?
"You always have to give Whitefish the nod," she said. "(The Bulldogs) lost some key athletes and it'll take some time, but Jackie (Fuller) just kind of reloads.
"Libby doesn't have real great size, but Cindy (Ostrem-Johnston) does a tremendous job there. They're another team that just doesn't let the ball hit the floor.
"And Eureka coming in - (the Lions) were very successful in Class B and they have one of the best in the state in the Roberts girl. They're going to throw their mix into it.
"I firmly believe the Northwestern A is tough. You get out of the Northwestern A, you've had a successful season, that's for sure," Peck said.
Columbia Falls
New coach, new time for Columbia Falls volleyball.
Addy Hines has been hired as head Wildkat volleyball coach.
"I haven't really looked into the past. I'm just looking to the future," Hines said.
"We're pretty young and we're starting fresh."
Youth is one of the biggest obstacles Columbia Falls (6-4, 8-5) will have to overcome.
The Wildkats graduated two of their kill leaders as well as their main setter.
Hines and the Wildkats plan to make hard work and unity their mantra for the season.
"We don't have a lot of height. We're just kind of getting better every day," Hines said.
"Hopefully, our hard work will pay off."
But they do return 5-10 senior middle hitter Monica Burns. According to the Montana ihigh web site, Burns was second on the team in kills last year with 79.
"She's an aggressive team leader. She really gets out on the court and does her job and leads by example," Hines said.
Also returning is senior outside hitter Callie Spencer.
"She's kind of a rock out there," Hines said of Spencer. "Wherever you put her, she's capable of getting it done."
The Wildkats plan to run a 5-1 offense this year with Sarah Marcille as the setter.
The 5-6 junior "has worked really hard and she's really improved her game," Hines said.
"We're really looking for her to be vocal out there."
Another senior Hines made sure to mention was Danielle Vukonich, a 5-6 defensive specialist.
"She works really hard," the coach said. When last year's coaches gave Vukonich a list of items on which to improve, she made sure to do it.
"She's always excited, always trying to pump everybody up," Hines added.
Other Wildkats to watch include: Sam Ladenburg, 5-8, junior defensive specialist/outside hitter, Auttem Osborne, 5-6, outside hitter, Cedar Smith, 5-8, outside hitter, Michelle Murphy, 5-10, sophomore rightside hitter, Alyssa Ladenburg, 5-6, sophomore outside hitter, Emily Stoltz, 5-9 junior middle hitter, Staci Pence, 5-5 junior defensive specialist.
Eureka
No more easy nights.
That's about the only change longtime Eureka Lady Lion volleyball coach Rhonda Hammond predicts for the 2006 season.
"You know teams are going to gun for us … little Class B Eureka. We better be ready and we can't afford a lot of mistakes," Hammond said.
"I'll miss a lot of friendships developed through Class B, but I've met some wonderful people and I look forward to the challenge (of moving to Class A).
The Class B state runners-up aren't going to get a lot of sympathy from their new peers, though.
An informal poll found most Northwestern A coaches listed the Lions (26-5 a year ago with all five losses to state champion Missoula Loyola), among the conference favorites.
Part of that is due to all state senior outside hitter Amy Roberts.
The 5-10 Roberts is on the wish list of college coaches as close as the University of Montana and as far away as the Pac-10 conference.
"She works her tail off," Hammond said. "She's just amazing. She's just an amazing kid. Her morals, her grades, the support for the team."
But she's one of just two seniors.
The other is 5-5 senior libero April Paden.
"She's a quiet leader, but she's telling kids to rotate and to cover," the coach said. "She passes very well, amazing at times.
"The two seniors are our leaders," Hammond said. "It's a unique combination, really, with only two seniors.
"At times, we just look incredible and at times … we don't. That's just youth. We might struggle early on some, but they have great attitudes and they've worked their tails off all summer."
Others returning for Eureka include: Melanie Finch, 5-6 junior outside hitter, April Paden, 5-5 senior libero, Megan Hannay, 5-5 junior setter, Jonna Yost, 5-7 sophomore setter, KaeDee Shay, 5-9 junior middle hitter, Briann Linnell, 6-0 sophomore middle hitter, Auna Lawler, 5-5 sophomore outside hitter, Mariah Newell, 5-10, sophomore outside/middle hitter, Shannon Hartzer, 5-10 sophomore outside hitter, Brittany Wilbur, 5-4 junior defensive specialist and Ashley Gullo, 5-4 sophomore defensive specialist.
Libby
No superstars, but the volleyball team that just may have come back this fall stronger than it ended a year ago is the Libby Lady Loggers.
"The girls came in very enthusiastic, ready to go, working hard," said longtime coach Cindy Ostrem-Johnston.
"They're playing well together. That's just that experience from previous years. Even though we are young still, they're pretty seasoned," she said.
The Loggers started the season on a high note - they tied for third at last weekend's NW-SW tournament in Ronan.
"They just need time together. We need to work on fine-tuning, cutting down on errors," Ostrem-Johnston said.
"They're a good team. Everybody is contributing. No real superstars, everybody just plays together," she added.
And they're highly motivated.
The Loggers placed third in last year's Northwestern A divisional.
"We missed going to state by one match," the coach said.
"Hopefully that will work for us this year. It will give us some incentive, motivation. The girls have high aspirations and so do I. But we know we're not the only team that does," Ostrem-Johnston said.
The only senior returning is Karen Byrns, a 5-10 middle hitter. With 132 kills, 11 solo blocks and 53 digs, Byrns was a first team all-conference selection as a junior.
Offensively, Libby plans to run a 5-1 with junior Shelby Barton (5-7) as setter.
"I think there are advantages to running a 5-1. Hitters only have to get used to one setter and that way I can play my other setter (junior Megan Wedel, 5-5) at libero. She's a good back row player," the coach said.
Other Lady Loggers to watch include: Jackie Mee, 6-0, freshman middle hitter, Laice Dedrick, 5-6, junior outside hitter, Brooke Hageness, 5-6, junior outside hitter, Nichole Newman, 5-10 sophomore rightside hitter, Suzanne Loudan, 5-5 junior outside hitter and Christa Quinn, 5-8 sophomore outside hitter.
"I think it's going to be a fun year. I'm looking forward to it," Ostrem-Johnston said.
Polson
Bad news hit for the Polson Lady Pirates before the volleyball season even got under way.
Returning second team all conference senior setter Dylen Zetterberg is out for the season with a shoulder injury suffered during summer softball.
Zetterberg has turned herself into something of a volunteer coach, appearing at practice regularly to help with the younger athletes.
But added to that, senior outside hitter Gracie Sartori moved away.
"We lost two big ones that we had planned on having," said fifth-year head coach Deanna McElwee.
"But the other girls that are there are doing a great job," she said.
But just one, 5-9 senior middle hitter, Lindsey Rafter, is a returning starter.
She'll lead a core of seven girls trying to improve on last year's 4-9 season.
Rafter "is very aggressive, confident. She has been a very good leader so far this year. She's very encouraging to the younger girls."
Starting in Zetterberg's place as setter will be 5-8 senior Angela Schuman.
"She did an outstanding job this summer working on her setting," the coach said. "She worked on her quickness of feet. I think she's going to help us tremendously."
Another senior who put in a ton of time over the summer was 5-7 rightside hitter Kayla Schomer.
"She's really working hard," McElwee said.
Other Pirates who will make a strong contribution are junior Lexi Frederick, 5-10 middle hitter, 5-2 junior libero Jessica Buckless, 5-10 sophomore transfer Aislinn Nielson and freshman Nicole Davey, 5-7 outside hitter.
"I'm really excited for this season. These girls are working hard and I feel they have a lot of potential," McElwee said.
Frederick is "very aggressive and confident and just fun," McElwee said. "She's just a fun kid to have on the team and she moves extremely well for her height."
Buckless played soccer as a sophomore, but has elected to return to volleyball.
"She's very quick, very athletic, anticipates pretty well where the ball is going," McElwee said.
Neilson has been "a tremendous transfer," she said.
Formerly of Phoenix, Ariz., Neilson has "tremendous volleyball skills. She will just really help our volleyball team and she's fit in so well with our girls."
Davey doesn't play like a freshman, McElwee said.
"She understands the game very, very well."
The Pirates begin their season at this weekend's tournament in Ronan. Their first conference match will be Sept. 7 at Whitefish.
Whitefish
One of the last things Whitefish head coach Jackie Fuller said to the Daily Inter Lake after the Bulldogs won their second straight Class A volleyball championship was '"we have some great players coming back and our JV team went undefeated. The future looks bright."'
The Bulldogs and everyone else in Northwestern A will start to find out just how bright this weekend at the annual tip-off tournament in Ronan.
"We lost a good group of kids," the longtime coach admitted this fall.
Indeed they did - six letterwinners graduated.
"They were also great teachers. The biggest thing I know, they taught this group coming in what needs to be done.
"(The Bulldogs) have got to come in and work hard. Each and every day, they need to get better. Everything else will fall in place," the coach said.
Of course, Whitefish also returns a lot of offense in two of the starters who are back.
According to ihigh, junior Ashley Ferda, 5-6 outside hitter, tallied 211 kills, 279 digs and served 29 aces en route to being named all-state a year ago.
Her cousin, 5-7 senior middle hitter Courtney Ferda, turned in 99 kills, 23 total blocks and had 45 digs to earn all-conference honors.
They were in preparing for volleyball the minute track was over last spring, Fuller said.
"The Ferda girls are just a steady group. They've just been around athletics so much, they know what needs to be done.
"They're looking strong, but only as strong as everyone around them and they know that," Fuller said.
"They realize they have to work harder than anybody else. They know what they need to do to add to this potluck."
Another returnee is senior Kirsten Blackburn, a 5-2 defensive specialist. Blackburn served state championship point as a sophomore.
"She's just got a great competitive spirit inside her. She's going to provide that spark we need," Fuller said.
Others who are going to have a lot to say about how this season turns out for Whitefish include 5-5 senior setter Kali Schmidt, 5-5 senior Kellie Kalbfleisch, 5-11 senior right side hitter Libbie Anderson, 5-10 senior middle hitter Kaitlin O'Leary, and 5-9 junior middle hitter Brielle Menegazzi.
One adjustment for Whitefish will be at setter. All-stater Mandy McFadden set a 5-1 for the Bulldogs for three years before graduating.
Fuller plans to run a 5-1 again this year, with Schmidt as the setter.
"She's a competitor. On game day, she likes to come out and play hard," she said of the senior.
"I'm also looking at my options on a 6-2 with Kellie Kalbfleisch. But we're really heavy to the 5-1 with Kali. She's got great hands and she's a competitor."
The Bulldogs will have their hands full with the Northwestern A, according to Fuller.
"Eureka is going to come in and make a splash in this conference, Libby has full team back and Yvonne Peck will bring the best out of those (Bigfork) kids."