Class A volleyball: Belgrade clips C-Falls in state semis
BOZEMAN — Off to a fast start in the undefeated semifinals at the Class A state volleyball tournament, the Columbia Falls Wildkats couldn’t overcome Kylie McCree and the Belgrade Panthers, falling 21-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-21 at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at Montana State University on Friday.
McCree walloped a match-high 26 kills to pace the Panthers, including Belgrade’s final three points in the final set to clinch a spot in the championship game today.
“Our block had (McCree) in the first set, but then it stopped,” Columbia Falls coach Josie Brown said.
The first set saw Wildkats’ Winter Kemppainen strike back-to-back kills that tied the set at 14 and then gave Columbia Falls a lead which it would never surrender.
Kemppainen had five kills in the first set while Belgrade committed three serving errors.
“We came out really strong in the first game. We were very consistent with our serve-receive, we were swinging at the ball and we were communicating on the court,” Brown said.
“The girls know they need to run a fast paced offense and be quick on defense and that was a real positive for them to play well against a really challenging team in the first set.”
Columbia Falls fell behind early in the final three sets, but managed to comeback in every one. Facing a 11-6 deficit in the second set, Carla Nicosia navigated several kills to bring the set to a 16-16 tie before Belgrade ran away with it. The Wildkats never held a lead in the third, falling behind 9-3 before rallying to a 20-19 deficit, the closest of the set.
“We battled back in every single set. We were always behind and came back. We were right there,” Brown said.
“We can’t measure success without there being some failure. They’re looking at this as an opportunity to come out even stronger tomorrow, knowing that they can’t back down or play with fear. They’ve got to play with courage and go after everything.”
Cydney Finberg had a team-high 47 assists while Carla Nicosia lead the Wildkats with 15 kills. Kiara Burlage added 13 kills and Ciera Finberg had 10.
Kemppainen totaled three blocks and Shay Fishel finished with 16 digs to lead the defense.
The Wildkats are guaranteed a third place finished should they lose their first match today. A win at 11 a.m. against conference foe Frenchtown would put Columbia Falls in the finals against Belgrade, where two matches will need to be won in order to take home a state title.
Belgrade def. Columbia Falls
21-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-21
Kills - Belgrade 56 (Kylie McCree 26, Hannah Govlet 12). Columbia Falls 51 (Carla Nicosia 15, Kiara Burlage 13). Assists - Belgrade 51 (Olivia Kleinsasser 48), Columbia Falls 50 (Cydney Finberg 47). Blocks - Belgrade 9 (Maddie Orrell 4), Columbia Falls 7 (Winter Kemppainen 3). Digs - Belgrade 70 (Kyra Fisher 19, Hannah Govlet 14), Columbia Falls 51 (Shay Fishel 16, Carla Nicosia 7). Aces - Belgrade 12 (Olivia Kleinsasser 4, Hannah Govlet 3), Columbia Falls 4 (Cydney Finberg 2).
Loser Out
Lewistown def. Miles City 25-17, 25-18, 25-18
Frenchtown def. Anaconda 25-14, 25-19, 25-20
Frenchtown def. Corvallis 29-27, 25-19, 25-20
Billings Central def. Lewiston 19-25, 14-125, 25-19, 25-22, 15-11
Fourth Place
Frenchtown def. Billings Central 25-21, 25-22, 25-17
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Today’s Schedule
Third Place
11 a.m. — Frenchtown vs. Columbia Falls
Championship
3 p.m. — Belgrade vs. third-place winner