Libby spikers win weekend tourney
<p>Ace jube with Devon Gallagher, left, India Croucher and Bailie Rosling vs. Whitefish Sept. 13.</p>
The Lady Loggers had an opportunity to see some different competition at the Bonners Ferry Invitational and claimed first place with a victory over Priest River, 25-21, 25-15.
Libby downed conference rival Whitefish 23-25, 25-18, 15-7 in the quarterfinals and host Bonners Ferry 25-22, 27-25 to make it to the championship of the 10-team tournament.
The Loggers kept the taller Spartans off-balance with strong serves and well-placed kills. Hailey Craig led the way with four aces and Hailley Moe continued her strong net play with eight kills. Hannah England had 13 assists and chipped in six kills on a variety of tips and dumps to the deep corners. Several times during the match the crowd would cheer a Spartan spike only to have a Logger defender play it back up.
Libby entered the championship round as the second seed from single-game pool play with a 2-2 record. The Lady Loggers had lost to the host Badgers in the morning 25-11, so Coach Cindy Ostrem-Johnston was happy with the way the team bounced back in the semifinals.
“I was proud of them for playing their best at the end of a long day in the gym. It was a good solid team effort. Winning the tournament was a great confidence booster and a lot of fun.”
Moe had nine of the Loggers’ 26 kills and a block. The team served nine aces. The Lady Loggers squad came back from a 21-18 deficit to win the first set and was down 23-21 in the second before Moe’s two kills and two aces helped secure the win.
The JV team had a successful day in the sub varsity tournament coming away with a 2nd place finish, falling to the Whitefish JV team 25-19 in the championship. Libby JV Coach Tom Gallagher had high praise for his team.
“The girls played amazing this weekend and as a team and I’m really proud of the effort they put into being successful,” Gallagher said.