Volleyball: Flathead sweeps Hellgate
Things were starting to get just a tiny bit
intense.
The Flathead Bravettes were up a set, but led
Missoula Hellgate by a mere three points in the second set of
Tuesday’s Western AA volleyball matchup.
Then, midpoint, with Flathead’s Hannah Sackett in
mid-jump and mid-swing, junior outside hitter Cassie Krueger
shouted an order from the Flathead bench to “‘Put it down!’”
Sackett did just that, then followed that kill with
another. Kylie Schlegel got the next one —by the time Hellgate
managed a sideout, it was down and all but out, trailing 19-12.
Flathead (3-2, 7-4) rolled to the win, 25-8, 25-17,
25-15.
The Flathead offense was in fine form — outhitting
Hellgate 46-21 and committing just five hitting errors.
Kwyn Johnson led the effort with 11 kills (.525
hitting average), followed by Kylie Schlegel with nine kills. Her
average was .667.
“Those are big numbers,” said Flathead coach Leon
Wilcox.
“Everybody played really well. It was our best team
effort this season,” he added.
“Our serving was great, our passing was great. It was
a very solid performance from everybody. (The Bravettes) were
scrappier than I’ve ever seen them,” Wilcox said.
“We were all playing our hardest. I think this is the
scrappiest we’ve played all season,” Schlegel said.
“We did so much better than we did on Saturday and it
was a huge relief,” Schlegel said.
“I was surprised and really happy that we were
outscrapping (the Knights),” she said.
Schlegel credited setter Alison Lunde for getting the
defense rolling.
“She works hard all the time. But (Tuesday) she
worked hard for every play. She got us rolling and inspired to play
like she was,” she said.
Wilcox also complimented Lunde for her precise
setting.
“Alison’s hands looked like she had a radar on them,”
Wilcox said.
“(Lunde has) brought a very consistent, intense
effort this season. The girls are starting to recognize that. It’s
a good example for the team,” he added.
He also liked what he saw from Emma Andrews
defensively.
“They all played so well,” the coach said.
Schlegel also complimented the play of sophomore Timi
Severson.
“Her blocking was on and she was hitting really
consistent,” she said.
“This is a big step of confidence for us for our
(crosstown) match on Thursday,” she added.
Flathead defeat Hellgate 25-8, 25-17, 25-15
Kills — Hellgate 21 Jaiden Nisbet 7, Jenae White 6),
Flathead 46 (Kwyn Johnson 11, Kylie Schlegel 9); Assists — Hellgate
19 (Morgan Lutz 17), Flathead 42 (Emily Russell 20, Alison Lunde
20); Blocks — Hellgate 3 (Taylor Allen 2), Flathead 5 (Timi
Severson 4); Digs — Hellgate 18 (Monica Dierken 7, Allen 6),
Flathead 43 (Hannah Sackett 10, Emma Andrews 7); Aces — Hellgate 0,
Flathead 12 (Andrews 4).