Volleyball: Glacier rallies by Helena Capital
Trailing by two sets and facing a ferocious Helena Capital front line, the Glacier volleyball team clawed its way even and dominated a fifth set to remain undefeated in conference play with a 23-25, 11-25, 25-19, 27-25, 15-9 victory on Saturday at Glacier.
The Wolfpack (8-1 overall, 3-0 Western AA) were slow to get out of the gates, falling behind 5-1 in the opening set before working its way back in the game. Even as they traded points late, Glacier struggled to get the ball down on Capital (5-5, 2-2), which scrambled to all corners of the court to keep volleys alive. The Bruins won the last two points to take the first set and steal momentum in the match.
That momentum carried through to the second set. Using a fierce front line led by senior Michaela Dowdy, Capital opened up an 11-1 lead and was up 23-8 before Glacier put together any sort of streak.
Capital finished with 15 blocks in the match, led by Dowdy’s nine.
“We know that about Capital,” Glacier coach Christy Harkins said.
“They’re great blockers, they’re aggressive middles. They’ve done a really nice job. We knew those things were coming, we shouldn’t have been surprised, but they did execute it very well.”
After the big loss in the second, Glacier took charge. The Wolfpack scored the first six point of the third set and cruised to an easy win. Glacier fought off match point in the fourth set to win the final three points and force a deciding fifth frame.
Tied 4-4 in the fifth set, Glacier reeled off 10 of the next 12 points, putting a stranglehold on the match as they coasted to victory.
Tessa Krueger led the Wolfpack with 15 kills and Katie Wiley added 14. Wiley also led the team with three blocks. Hannah Liss had five aces and 40 assists while Kayla Russell had 19 digs.
Dowdy led the Bruins with 14 kills.
“We did need to change our offense to rely a little more on our outsides and our right sides (to get away from the block),” Harkins said.
“We are a pretty middle dominated offense. We had to change that up a little bit and the kids adjusted nicely.”
The comeback win keeps the Wolfpack undefeated heading into the crosstown match at Flathead on Tuesday and is a big boost to Glacier’s early-season confidence.
“That’s been a big focus for us, working on some mental toughness and being able to excel under pressure,” Harkins said.
“We haven’t always excelled at that in the past. We made a little bit of a stride today.”
Glacier def. Helena Capital, 23-25, 11-25, 25-19, 27-25, 15-9
Kills — Capital 41 (Michaela Dowdy 14), Glacier 51 (Tessa Krueger 15). Assists — Capital 40 (Rayna Pilgeram 33), Glacier 42 (Hannah Liss 40). Digs — Capital 86 (Elise Mathis 30), Glacier 71 (Kayla Russell 19). Blocks — Capital 15 (Dowdy 9), Glacier 4 (Katie Wiley 3). Aces — Capital 5 (Kenzi Johnston 2), Glacier 10 (Liss 5).