Libby downs Bigfork

BIGFORK - The Libby Loggers found out a little something about their volleyball team Thursday night.

They discovered how they react when conditions aren't perfect - and the news is good for Logger fans.

Libby (1-0) downed host Bigfork 25-11, 25-18 and 25-22 to pick up its first Northwestern A conference win.

One would never have known how the match was going by looking at the Logger faces. They might have been up by 20 points or facing match point.

For the record, they spent a sizeable portion of the evening trailing the Valkyries.

"We haven't practiced well all week. I think that kind of set the tone for this match, said Libby coach Cindy Ostrem-Johnston.

"This is a tough gym to play in with the beams, the lights are blaring, they get a little uptight.

"But they are also a mature enough group this year that they can settle themselves down and work their way back in."

"I was proud of our team for being able to keep their composure and come back from being behind several times," she added.

"We got through it. We could have just fallen apart and just given up - and they didn't do that."

Bigfork coach Kelsey Jensen liked what she saw from the Vals as well.

"You just have to play in the top of your game when you play a team like that. They're one of the teams to beat and everybody is out there to get them," she said.

There were "small mental mistakes we made in our game that we'll work on. But every single time they've stepped on the court they've improved," Jensen said of the Vals.

"I'd like to see it a little bit more controlled. But we'll learn from those things," she said.

Libby trailed Bigfork each of the first two games. The deficit was small in the first game - 9-7. But in the second, the Vals leaped ahead.

The Loggers made their run in the first game when the Vals' 6-foot-2 middle hitter Alyssa Fierro rotated to the back row.

"It's tough when she's in the front row," Ostrem-Johnston said. "She just hits right over the top of our blocks, whereever she wants to."

Libby took advantage of her absence up front with tough serves by sophomore Jackie Mee.

"(Fierro) hits hard. She blocks a lot of our stuff and she hits straight down," Mee said.

"When she got into the back row we tried to stay in our rotation and the first game we did," Mee said.

By the time Mee served into the net, Libby owned an 18-9 lead.

But the second game was another story.

The Vals played virtually mistake-free volleyball - and got kills from everyone. Fierro had two kills and a block, Emily Hardman smacked a shot cross court and setter Claire Wilken even got into the action.

"We were slow getting to the ball and everything," Mee said.

"We stopped and said, 'okay, we're going to come back now and we started playing,'" she said.

Mee led the Loggers with eight kills and seven service aces. Brooke Hageness added seven kills, Shelby Barton had 21 assists and Megan Wedel had 11 digs. For Bigfork, Fierro finished with eight kills and four blocks, Ashlee Gordon had 11 assists and Roxy Thurman had nine digs.

Libby def. Bigfork 25-11, 25-18 25-22

Kills - Libby 29 (Jackie Mee 8, Brooke Hageness 7), Bigfork 16 (Alyssa Fierro 8), Assists - Libby 26 (Shelby Barton 21), Bigfork 16 (Ashlee Gordon 11, Claire Wilken 5. Blocks - Libby 4 (No leader), Bigfork 4 (Fierro 4), Digs - Libby 32 (Megan Wedel 11, Laice Dedrick 7), Bigfork 21 (Roxy Thurman 9), Aces - Libby 14 (Mee 7), Bigfork 5 (Gordon 3).