Libby spikers advance, lose in second round
BOZEMAN - Too many mistakes and too much Fergus County Eagles.
That was the story for the Libby Logger volleyball team in the second round of the All Class Volleyball tournament Thursday.
The Loggers downed first-round opponent Laurel in four games, but were swept by Fergus later on.
Scores were 25-9, 20-25, 25-18, 25-18 against Laurel.
The night scores were 25-19, 25-21, 25-21 in favor of Fergus.
"Serving was a problem for us today," said Libby assistant coach Kyle Crawford.
Crawford was pressed into service because head coach Cindy Ostrem-Johnston suffered a bit of laryngitis.
"We had 11 missed serves (against Fergus)," Crawford said. "But we struggled all day. We had 22 missed serves on the day. We talked about it in the lockerroom. That's a focus issue. We're usually better than that. We let too many things affect our game.
"We didn't control what we could have controlled and we let things bother us that don't usually bother us - and granted, Fergus is a great team. They put the pressure on us."
It didn't start out that way.
The match started with Libby applying the pressure and the Eagles looking a bit bewildered.
The Loggers found the holes in the early going - three kills by three different players, three aces and a couple Eagle hitting errors put Libby up 9-3.
But then Fergus coach Tara Taylor called timeout.
Within moments, Fergus had pulled itself back into the contest.
Suddenly, it was the Eagles killing the ball and the Loggers who followed every kill or ace with an error.
"It kind of went the other way after that," Crawford said. "(The Eagles) played great defense. They dug up a lot of our hits and they blocked well.
"All year long, we've been a solid team. When someone struggles, another steps up and plays. But tonight, we had two or three people struggle and nobody stepped up and covered them."
Fergus built a 10-6 lead in the second game. Libby made a couple of runs, but never got closer than three points.
The third game was nip-and-tuck through 15-14. But two straight hitting errors - one shot into the net, another out the back end of the court - created enough separation for Fergus to slip away.
The Loggers now have to bounce back at 4 p.m. today. They'll play the winner of the noon matchup between Miles City and Dillon.
"If we take care of business, we'll play at 8 p.m.," Crawford said.
Sophomore middle Jackie Mee led the Loggers with 10 kills. Brooke Hageness added eight kills and Laice Dedrick had 12 digs.
Against Laurel, Hageness had 15 of Libby's 52 kills, followed by Dedrick with 13 and Mee with 11. Megan Wedel had 16 digs and Shelby Barton had 40 assists.
Libby def. Laurel
25-9, 20-25, 25-18, 25-20
Kills - Libby 52 (Brooke Hageness 15, Laice Dedrick 13, Jackie Mee 11), Laurel 29 (Jessica Gallagher 11, Kacie Sanderson 7, Erin Mills 3), Assists - Libby 48 (Shelby Barton 40), Laurel 26 (Ashley Cooper 23), Blocks - Libby 0, Laurel 9 (Jenna Griffin 6, Gallagher 3), Digs - Libby 47 (Megan Wedel 16, Hageness 9), Laurel 53 (Justine Simmons 13, Cooper 12), Aces - Libby 8 (Wedel 2, Crysta Quinn 2), Laurel 6 (Gallagher 3, Michelle Dahl 2).
Fergus defeat Libby
25-19, 25-21, 25-21
Kills - Libby 36 (Jackie Mee 10, Brooke Hageness 8), Fergus 31 (Josie Sweeney 10, Arielle Allen 9), Assists - Libby 33 (Shelby Barton 32), Fergus 29 (Brinna Boettger 27),Blocks - Libby 3 (Crysta Quinn 2), Fergus 6 (Allen 2, Sweeney 2), Digs - Libby 37 (Laice Dedrick 12), Fergus 49 (LeAnn Quinlan 16, Cassie Byerly 13, Sweeney 10), Aces - Libby 6 (Barton 2), Fergus 2 (Tori Feller 2).