AA volleyball: Bravettes drop Bengals in 3

The Flathead volleyball team picked up a big win on its home court Saturday, beating Helena High in three sets, 25-19, 25-20, 25-20.

The Bravettes controlled the pace in the match, holding the talented front line of Helena to just 25 kills. They limited senior Kaitlyn Oliver to just 11 kills.

“One of our major objectives defensively was Oliver,” Flathead coach Leon Wilcox said.

“We changed our blocking scheme a little bit. Our back row had to adjust. Our right side did a great job of shutting down their outside hitters.”

Flathead setter Emily Russell had six aces while leading the offense with 29 assists. Wilcox said she was all over the court, picking up digs and pitching in four kills.

“Setters are all over the floor, she just never stops going,” Wilcox said. “She’s a tough kid.”

Cassie Krueger led the Bravettes with 16 kills and Sarah Risenhoover had six blocks. Emma Andrews had a team-high 13 digs.

“Great effort by all of them, I thought they did a great job,” Wilcox said.

The win caps a busy week for the Bravettes, mixing homecoming festivities with three conference matches against very tough opponents and a tough tournament in Great Falls. In total, Flathead played 33 sets in the last week and a half.

“By end of match they were exhausted,” Wilcox said. “They were spent. It’s been a long schedule lately. To their credit, they’ve really played hearts out every time.”

The gauntlet doesn’t end this week. Flathead plays Hellgate on Tuesday and heads to Glacier on Saturday for what is likely one of the toughest matches all season.

Kills — Helena 25 (Kaitlyn Oliver 11), Flathead 35 (Cassie Krueger 16); Assists — Helena 20 (Dani Norling 19), Flathead 32 (Emily Russell 29); Blocks — Helena 9 (Oliver 4), Flathead 9 (Sarah Risenhoover 6); Digs — Helena 44 (Kerstie Ward 18), Flathead 52 (Emma Andrews 13); Aces — Helena 7 (Mallory Grimsrud 3), Flathead 12 (Russell 6).