Volleyball: Corvallis wins Tip Off; Bigfork, Eureka sweep
FRENCHTOWN — Corvallis defeated Frenchtown 25-22, 25-16 to win the Western A Tip Off volleyball tournament on Saturday.
Frenchtown was the top seed after Friday’s pool play with Corvallis second.
Libby beat Anaconda 25-19, 25-18 to finish third.
Columbia Falls was fifth and Whitefish seventh.
Western A Tip Off Tournament
At Frenchtown
Saturday
Placing matches
First place – Corvallis def. Frenchtown, 25-22, 25-16.
Third place – Libby def. Anaconda, 25-19, 25-18.
Fifth place – Columbia Falls def. Hamilton, 25-15, 20-25, 15-11.
Seventh place – Whitefish def. Stevensville, 25-9, 25-14.
Ninth place – Polson def. Dillon, 25-19, 25-20.
11th place – Butte Central def. Frenchtown JV, 26-24, 23-25, 15-4.
Friday
Pool play results
Team Wins
Wins Diff.
Frenchtown 10 84
Corvallis 9 74
Libby 9 68
C. Falls 8 81
Whitefish 8 69
Anaconda 7 38
Hamilton 5 36
Polson 4 33
Stevensville 4 32
Dillon 4 27
Butte Central 3 24
Frenchtown JV 1 2
Stillwater 4-0
at Cougar Classic
Stillwater Christian School won four matches over the weekend, all in three sets, to improve to 5-0 overall on the season.
“We have a good core group of girls,” Stillwater coach Diane Smith said.
“They work well together and their court communication improves every time we are in the gym. The leadership of seniors Megha Tannehill and Sophie George has kept the girls focused and running as a strong unit. Senior Sarah Paolini continues again this year to be our powerhouse, leading in kills as well as digs this season.”
Paolini was in double digits in kills for all four matches. She had a high of 18 versus Great Falls Home School.
Stillwater is back in action Monday hosting the Glacier JV at 7 p.m.
Saturday
Stillwater Christian def.
Foothills Christian 25-11, 25-13, 25-20
Set assists — Dori Smith 21; Aces — Stillwater 11 (Courtney Beaver 5); Kills — Stillwater 28 (Sarah Paolini 13); Digs — Stillwater 33 (Paolini 11)
Stillwater Christian def. Great Falls Home School 25-17, 25-13, 25-23
Set assists — Smith 31; Aces — Stillwater 13 (Adrianna Lambert 5); Kills — Stillwater 37 (Paolini 18); Blocks — Stillwater 2 (Courtney Beaver 1); Digs — Stillwater 54 (Sarah Paolini 11)
Friday
Stillwater Christian def. Helena Home School 25-7, 25-6, 25-17
Set assists — Smith 21; Aces — Stillwater 21 (Megha Tannehill 9); Kills — Stillwater 24 (Paolini 13); Blocks — Stillwater 1 (Paolini 1); Digs — Stillwater 7 (Lambert 2)
Stillwater Christian def. Helena Christian High School 25-14, 25-10, 25-5
Set assists — Smith 20; Aces — Stillwater 21 (Tannehill 7); Kills — Stillwater 24 (Paolini 14); Blocks — Stillwater 2 (Paolini 1); Digs — Stillwater 19 (Sophie George 5)
Bigfork 3, Ronan 0
Bigfork 3, Deer Lodge 0
RONAN — Bigfork took care of business, dropping District 6B foes Ronan 25-23, 25-21, 28-26 and Deer Lodge 25-15, 25-14, 25-10.
“We talked about starting strong and staying strong and they came through on that,” Bigfork coach Melody Strauss said.
The team also had fewer unforced errors on the day, which was a big improvement from the last outing.
Marissa Hiza had 15 kills versus Ronan to power the Valkyries at the net.
“She took control of the court,” Strauss said.
“She couldn’t miss. It was one of the best matches that I’ve seen Marissa have. She did a phenomenal job.”
Kalia Wicklund led Bigfork of District 7B in assists and aces in both outings.
Bigfork was missing two starters for the Deer Lodge match — Abbie Fraley, an outside hitter, and Lana Berg, a middle hitter. Both had excused absences.
“Different lineup, different setups,” Strauss said.
“It’s a big hit when you take two of your top hitters and defensive players out. Everyone (as a result) was working together.”
Bigfork (2-1) hosts Eureka on Thursday in a District 7B match.
Bigfork def. Ronan 25-23, 25-21, 28-26
Kills — Bigfork 23 (Marissa Hiza 15), Ronan NA; Blocks — Bigfork 5 (Lana Berg 3), Ronan NA; Assists — Bigfork 21 (Kalia Wicklund 19), Ronan NA; Digs — Bigfork 46 (Berg 15), Ronan NA; Aces — Bigfork 9 (Wicklund 4), Ronan NA.
Bigfork def.
Deer Lodge 25-15, 25-14, 25-10
Kills — Bigfork 14 (Hiza 6), Deer Lodge NA; Blocks — Bigfork 2 (Miranda Campbell 2), Deer Lodge; Assists — Bigfork 12 (Wicklund 9), Deer Lodge NA; Digs — Bigfork 29 (Julia Saunders 10), Deer Lodge NA; Aces — Bigfork 6 (Courtney George 2, Wicklund 2), Deer Lodge NA.
Eureka 3, Deer Lodge 0
Eureka 3, Ronan 0
RONAN — Eureka opened the season by prevailing against District 6B foes Deer Lodge 27-25, 26-24, 25-9 and Ronan 28-26, 29-27, 25-17.
The Lions came through with pressure wins in the first two sets of both matches, then had an easier time finishing off both teams in the third set.
“Our hitting was superb today,” Eureka coach Charli Chapman said.
“Our defense was outstanding. We controlled the tempo, momentum.”
She said the team is also playing with a lot more confidence.
Amanda Peterson was Eureka’s kill leader in both matches with 11 against Deer Lodge and 12 versus Ronan.
Eureka, a member of District 7B, had 100 digs against Ronan. Evynn Anderson totaled 31 and Peterson 29.
Eureka plays at Mission on Tuesday.
Eureka def.
Deer Lodge 27-25, 26-24, 25-9
Kills — Eureka 29 (Amanda Peterson 11, Elliott Peterson 7), Deer Lodge NA; Blocks — Eureka 8 (E. Peterson 3, Courtney Lemer 3), Deer Lodge NA; Assists — Eureka 23 (Lemer 12, Charity Parsons 9), Deer Lodge NA; Digs — Eureka 66 (Evynn Anderson 19, A. Peterson 12), Deer Lodge NA; Aces — Eureka 6 (Anderson 3), Deer Lodge NA.
Eureka def. Ronan 28-26, 29-27, 25-17
Kills — Eureka 30 (A. Peterson 12, E. Peterson 9), Ronan NA; Blocks — Eureka 3 (E. Peterson, Lemer, Kaylee Kronspeger), Ronan NA: Assists — Eureka 25 (Lemer 15, Parsons 7), Ronan NA; Digs — Eureka 100 (Anderson 31, A. Peterson 29), Ronan NA; Aces — Eureka 13 (Jenna Komac 4, Parsons 4), Ronan NA.