Lady Loggers volleyball picks up two wins

The Lady Loggers volleyball team was busy last week, with games against Bigfork, Anaconda and St. Ignatius. The ladies went  2-1 record for the stretch, beating Bigfork and St. Ignatius but falling to Anaconda.

The stretch began in Bigfork on Tuesday, Sept. 15, where Libby’s girls fought a tough battle with the home Valkyries. Libby won the match in five games, 25-19, 13-25, 25-16, 20-25 and 15-12.

Haylee Cannon and Bailie Rosling each had four aces in the match, with another two coming from Ashley Walker, who racked up a perfect 100 percent on her serves. The team scored 35 kills, led by India Croucher with nine and followed by Mehki Sykes and Emily Mossburg with seven each. Walker and Alli Collins added 26 assists to the offense, with 16 and 10, respectively.

On the defensive side, the girls made 11 blocks, with seven from Mossburg and four from Cannon. They also came away with 47 digs, led by Rosling’s 21. Croucher added another seven.

The win moved the Lady Loggers to 1-0 in conference play, 2-3 overall. Coach Cindy Ostrem-Johnston said the tough battle showed the character of her team.

“I was proud of the team for gritting it out and finding a way to win in a tough, hard-fought match,” she said.

The ladies stumbled Friday evening against Anaconda, dropping in four games, 18-25, 20-25, 25-23 and 17-25.

The team’s 13 aces were evenly distributed, with Collins, Cannon and Walker each scoring three. Croucher and Cannon each added eight kills, accounting for 16 of the team’s total 29. Walker led the team in assists, with 13. Collins added another eight to the team’s total of 26.

“India and Haylee both played solid games,” Ostrem-Johnston said. “They served and passed well and were efficient at the net.”

On the defensive side, the team managed only seven blocks, with Mossburg’s three leading the way. Rosling added 21 digs in the losing effort.

The loss dropped the Lady Loggers to 1-0 in conference play, 2-4 overall.

Saturday’s match against St. Ignatius brought the stretch to a successful conclusion, as the Lady Loggers dispatched the Bulldogs in three, 25-19, 25-10 and 25-10.

Croucher’s serves were right on target, as she dished up four aces and a perfect 100 percent service. Walker and Taryne Luscher each added three aces. Mehki Sykes dished out 10 kills, followed by Croucher with five and Luscher with four. Walker handed out 14 of the team’s 28 assists, with Collins adding another eight.

Defensively, the girls came away with seven blocks, led by Mossburg with three. Cannon added two. Rosling made 10 of the team’s 30 digs, with Croucher and Madisen Monigold each contributing five.

The win brought the Lady Loggers to 1-0 in conference play, 3-4 overall.

“I was very pleased with the way the girls bounced back from the loss to Anaconda,” Ostrem-Johnston said. “We met our serving, attack percentage and receiving goals. It was a good team effort.”

The Loggers next two matches are against in-county conference rivals Troy and Eureka. Ostrem-Johnston is looking for her team to build on the solid foundations from the St. Ignatius match.

“I expect our two conference matches with Troy and Eureka to be very competitive,” she said. “In our match on Saturday against Mission we bumped our serving, passing and attack percentages up to where they are respectable. Now I would like to see our team keep building on that.”