Wolfpack rallies to claim Western AA volleyball
BUTTE — The Glacier Wolfpack, getting 14 kills from Ella Farrell, dug deep and won the Western AA Divisional volleyball title Saturday afternoon, topping Helena in five sets.
The Wolfpack, 20-7, takes the West’s No. 1 seed into the State AA tournament that begins Thursday at Breeden Field House in Bozeman. They’ll take on the Bozeman Hawks, No. 4 from the Eastern AA, in the first round.
It’s the first divisional title for them, but don’t call it elusive: Class AA played play-in matches every year that Glacier High was open (starting in 2007) until 2021.
Still, pretty cool. The Pack won the last two sets to beat a Bengal squad that had handed them their only conference loss this year. The scores were 25-22, 16-25, 18-25, 25-23 and 15-12.
Haven Speer had 43 assists, Kenedee Moore 19 digs and Maddie Davis had three of her team’s six aces.
“I am so very proud of these girls for their gritty performance today,” Glacier coach Christy Harkins said. “They really showed up and competed. It took a full team effort to beat a very talented Helena team.
“Sophomore Mali Carroll really stepped up for us, Ella Farrell had an amazing match at the net, Haven Speer ran the offense incredibly well and Kenedee Moore kept the ball off the floor so we could continue to attack.”
Kalispell nearly had two teams heading to State but Flathead fell to Helena Capital in loser-out action Saturday in five sets. The Bravettes ended up 10-17. No further details were available.
Missoula Sentinel then beat Capital in straight sets in the third-place match.
Whitefish 3rd at Western A
POLSON — The Whitefish Bulldogs lost to Hamilton Saturday morning to finish third at the Western A Divisional here, which still puts them into the State A that begins in Bozeman Thursday.
The host Polson Pirates picked up the fourth and final berth out of the West.
No further details were available.
Western AA
Butte Civic Center
Saturday
Missoula Sentinel def. Butte 3-0, loser out
Helena Capital def. Flathead 3-2, loser out
Sentinel def. Capital 3-0, third
Glacier def. Helena 3-2, first
Eastern AA
Belgrade
Saturday
Bozeman def. Billings Senior 3-2, loser out
Billings Skyview def. Belgrade 3-0, loser out
Skyview def. Bozeman 3-0, third
Billings West def. Gallatin 3-0, first
Western A
Polson
Thursday
Game 1: Frenchtown def. Polson 3-1
Game 2: Hamilton def. Columbia Falls 3-1
Game 3: Whitefish def. Corvallis 3-1
Game 4: Dillon def. Bigfork 3-0
Game 5: Frenchtown def. Hamilton 3-0, quarterfinal
Game 6: Whitefish def,. Dillon 3-2, quarterfinal
Friday
Game 7: Polson def.. Columbia Falls 3-0, loser out
Game 8: Bigfork def. Corvallis 3-1, lo
Game 9: Polson def. Dillon 3-1, lo
Game 10: Hamilton def. Bigfork 3-1, lo
Game 11: Frenchtown def. Whitefish 3-1, semifinal
Game 12: Hamilton def. Polson 3-0, loser fourth
Saturday
Game 13: Hamilton def. Whitefish 3-2, Whitefish third
Game 14: Frenchtown def. Hamilton 3-0, championship