Ronan stumps Columbia Falls
COLUMBIA FALLS - So close and then ... not.
The Ronan Maidens had to rally from a four-point first game deficit, but wound up sprinting past Northwestern A conference foe Columbia Falls on Tuesday 27-25, 25-12, 25-18.
"We were not playing with confidence. We looked tired. We were all over the place and we were not being disciplined," said Wildkat coach Addy Connelly.
"We are just not taking care of the ball - and we've got to do that. We had so many serve receive errors," she said.
That's not how it started out.
The Wildkats (0-5, 0-4) opened with kills from four different hitters - and the Maidens had three of their first five kill attempts land out of bounds.
But as well as Columbia Falls played in the early points, it also made mistakes - back to back service errors, a bad set, a hitting error - all combined to keep the Maidens close.
For their part, the Maidens simply kept working.
The Wildkats had a game point at 25-24 on Jessie Gist's block. But Ronan answered right back with a Tailyr Irvine tip, then went ahead when Columbia Falls mistimed a quick hit attempt and put the ball in the net. Columbia Falls shanked Taylor Lynch's serve for an ace.
From there, it got even tougher ... or easier, depending on which side for which fans were rooting.
"(The Maidens) seem to play better once they've had some time under their belt," said first year Ronan coach Naomi Mock.
"I don't know how to explain it. I don't know how to fix it. I wish I could because then the first games wouldn't be so difficult," she said.
"I think our girls ... they come in without an expectation to have to play hard ... so I think part of it they are underestimating, but they want to play hard.
"That's been a problem with Ronan for awhile, having the confidence and the ‘go-get ‘em' to go do it right away," she said.
Alice VanGunten led Ronan with nine kills. Marissa McCrea had 20 digs and five aces and Taylor Lynch had 11 assists.
"Alice had a wonderful night tonight. But everybody puts forth their effort.
"Our key is the whole team playing together and having fun," Mock added.
The Maidens rushed ahead 5-0 in the second game and rolled easily.
The third game was close for awhile, but Ronan eventually took control, got match point and then held off a furious last-ditch Wildkat effort.
"(The Wildkats) knew they could get that close with (the Maidens).
When you have six games (we had five before with them) ... it gets disheartening. It's tough to come out of that. It's a mental game," Mock said.
Connelly complimented the efforts of freshman Haley Belgrade and junior Erika Nelson.
"She played great tonight," Connelly said of Belgrade. "She stepped up and did what I asked her to do.
"Erica Nelson played scrappy. She was hitting the floor."
Gist had eight kills for Columbia Falls. Hope Burlage added 13 digs and 11 assists and two aces.
Kills - Ronan 32 (Alice VanGunten 9), Columbia Falls 25 (Jessie Gist 8, Danielle Gilley 6), Assists - Ronan 22 (Taylor Lynch 11), Columbia Falls 18 (Hope Burlage 11); Blocks - Ronan 1 (no leader), Columbia Falls 1 (no leader); Digs - Ronan 45 (Marissa McCrea 20), Columbia Falls 50 (Burlage 13, Gilley 10); Aces - Ronan 12 (McCrea 5, Tuesday Salmon 5), Columbia Falls 8 (Burlage 2, Gabrielle Stenger 2).