Polson faces long way back after loss

BOZEMAN - It's a long way back now for the Polson Pirate volleyball team.

Laurel defeated the Northwestern A divisional champions 25-17, 22-25, 25-16, 25-23 in the first round of the Class A state tournament at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Thursday.

To be state champions, the Pirates will have to win six straight volleyball matches between noon today and 5 p.m. on Saturday.

"We are used to the long way," said Polson coach Jan Toth.

"We will let this roll off of our backs and see what tomorrow brings," she said.

"But you can't win a game where you are always on the defensive and where you have only one hitter putting the ball down," Toth said.

Breanne Kelley had 19 kills for the Pirates. That's terrific, but the next closest person was Ashley Johnson with six. On the other side of the court, the Locomotives had three people bunched together with 10, eight and five.

Added to Laurel's stellar play was an erratic showing from the Pirates.

"If we added the points (the Locomotives) scored themselves and then added the points we scored for them ... we would be on the winning side," the coach said.

One example came in the forth game - the Pirates, trailing 21-17, put together four straight points with a kill, an ace and a block. But at 21-all, an easy tip from the Locomotives found the floor. Polson tied it again at 22-all, but then gave up a point when the Laurel setter dumped the ball. Another point slipped away when a hitter dumped the ball into the net.

The Pirates fended off one match point, but down 24-23, a set sailed wide of the antenna.

Kelley made a valiant effort to keep the ball in play, but her final shot was called wide of the antenna.

"We didn't come ready. We didn't come hungry enough and Laurel outplayed us," Toth said.

"They didn't let anything hit the ground and they controlled the ball the whole time. They didn't hit the ball hard and it wasn't anything we hadn't seen before," she said.

The Pirates will play at noon today in loser-out action.

Other leaders for Polson were Johnson and Shay Duford with three aces each, Kayla Duford with 38 assists and Kendyall Rochin with 32 digs.

Kills - Polson 41 (Breanne Kelley 19, Ashley Johnson 6), Laurel 33 (Hannah Weishoff 10, Keilah Ahmann 8), Assists - Polson 41 (Kayla Duford 38), Laurel 27 (Jayde Lefevre 14, Tara Russell 12), Blocks - Polson 7 (Breanne Kelley 4), Laurel 8 (Madi Mills 5, Amanda Taylor 5), Digs - Polson 84 (Kendyall Rochin 32, Breanne Kelley 16), Laurel 171 (Ashley Steinmetz 41, Sam Sissel 35, Jayde Lefevre 35), Aces - Polson 10 (Ashley Johnson 3, Shay Duford 3), Laurel 7 (Ashley Steinmetz 2, Amanda Taylor 2).

Billings Central 3, Whitefish 0

BOZEMAN - Heather Bailey had six kills, 12 digs and two aces, but the defending state champion Billings Central Rams were just too much for the Whitefish Bulldogs in the tournament opener for both teams.

Billings Central defeated Whitefish 25-20, 25-20, 25.

Heather Bailey had six kills and 12 digs for Whitefish.

Kills - Whitefish 16 (Heather Bailey 6), Billings Central 35 (Kalli Sizemore 9), Assists - Whitefish 14 (Taylor Havens 9), Billings Central 27 (Katie Cummins 25), Blocks - Whitefish 9 (Olivia Nagler 3, Brooke Silliker 3), Billings Central 7 (Justyn Juhl 2, Cummins 2), Digs - Whitefish 43 (Bailey 12, Madison Tveidt 10), Billings Central 60 (Ashley Heringer 11), Aces - Whitefish 6 (Tveidt 2, Bailey 2).