Page 62 - Flathead Beacon // 10.5.16

SPORTS
WCONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE HEN CHRISTY HARKINS
re ects on the positive poten-
tial of the Glacier volleyball team, she looks back on a defeat.
It was earlier this season at the Great Falls Invitational, and the Wolfpack squared o against Billings Senior, the perennial powerhouse in Montana high school volleyball. Right away, instead of playing timidly, Glacier rolled with every hit and block that Billings o ered, win- ning the rst set in rather surprising fashion.
“Our passing was great. Our serving was great. Our attack was ideal,” Har- kins said.
“Although we ended up losing the match, we still talk about that one. Their competitive level was great.”
In the same fashion, last week’s cross- town clash between Glacier and Flathead provided a shining example of how com- petitive both squads can be.
Glacier, following the dominating attack of senior hitter Nikki Krueger, defeated the Bravettes 20-25, 26-24, 25-20, 25-20 on Sept. 29. It was a nice bounce-back victory for the Pack after a painful defeat at the hands of top-ranked Missoula Sentinel two nights earlier. And it was a positive reminder for Flathead that they can compete with the fourth- ranked team in Montana, an honor Gla- cier held last week.
“Glacier played great and I really think Nikki (Krueger) played amazing,” Flat- head head coach Courtney Baker said.
“For us, honestly that was a big moment of growth. We haven’t played like that and I was really proud of how our girls played
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(against Glacier).”
Last week’s crosstown match marked
the season halfway point for both squads, which are hoping to return to the Class AA state tournament after missing out on postseason action a year ago.
Glacier (9-6 overall, 4-2 in Western AA) boasts four seniors who are leading the way, including Krueger, one of the state’s best players who moved to out- side hitter this fall, and Abi Fiske, the team’s consistent co-captain and tal- ented middle hitter. Senior Brietta Rus- sell has excelled at libero and sophomore Kali Gulick, a 6-foot-2 middle hitter, has emerged as a breakout player. Senior Meagan Gillespie is also providing key
leadership as a middle hitter.
“I honestly believe we’re still search-
ing for our identity a little bit still. I know there’s a lot of growth left with these play- ers,” Harkins said.
Harkins said it was a good sign to see her team respond after su ering a trash- ing at Missoula Sentinel (13-0, 6-0) by playing well against a competitive Flat- head team.
“We were pretty whooped puppies after Tuesday. It was de nitely a good bounce back to play well in a tough envi- ronment where you have to play hard,” Harkins said.
“It was a great (crosstown) match. The fact that Flathead played such excellent
defense, it forced us to play every single point.”
On Flathead’s side, the team that grad- uated seven seniors from a year ago cer- tainly showed its level of skill on defense against an exceptional Glacier attack.
While Krueger shined with 23 kills, it could have been many more against a lackluster defense. Instead, the Bravettes had 11 blocks, led by senior Tiana John- son, who had seven. Johnson is capping o her impressive high school career with another standout season this fall. John- son is one of only four seniors on the Flat- head roster, along with outside hitters Kenzie Harvey and Allie Gagnon and hit- ter Sierra Siblerud. There’s also 13-year- old freshman Julia Burden, who is 5-11 and excelling at middle blocker.
“Games that are tight like (the Gla- cier match) are important and we’re still learning so much from it. (Crosstown) defensively for us was a huge test and we passed it,” Baker said.
Baker said her young team (2-11, 1-5) is focusing on improving its o ensive attack as well as how to reach its poten- tial in game time.
“The drills they’re beating in practice are great. Now we just need to do it in a game,” she said. “It’s a big learning curve but this year I’m having a blast really see- ing the kids improve.”
The second and nal crosstown match of the season is Oct. 17 at Glacier. The playo s will occur Nov. 3 and the state tournament is Nov. 10-12 in Bozeman.
“I’m really excited to see how the rest of the season goes,” Baker said. “I think we will continue to surprise people.”
dtabish@ atheadbeacon.com
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Nikki Krueger tries to hit past Flathead defenders. Glacier defeated Flathead 20-25, 26-24, 25-20, 25-20; Allie Gagnon celebrates a point against the Wolfpack; Tiana Johnson (9) and Sierra Siblerud (15) celebrate a point against the Wolfpack.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
Nikki Krueger, left, celebrates with teammates. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
OCTOBER 5, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM