Lady Loggers volleyball hopes summer work pays off
North Idaho College head volleyball coach Brittany Tilleman oversees a drill at a two-day camp at Libby High School last week. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
Libby Lady Loggers head volleyball Sam Hannah during a recent two-day camp where North Idaho College coaches and players helped teach the sport. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
North Idaho College volleyball coach Brittany Tilleman taught the finer points of the sport during a recent camp at Libby High School. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
The path to a successful sports season does not begin two weeks before games begin.
Typically it is forged in the summer and with that in mind, Libby head coach Sam Hannah is hoping her teams’ offseason work will pay dividends this fall.
The 2022 Lady Logger campaign was not one to remember, but Hannah is optimistic with what she has seen in this offseason.
The Lady Loggers competed in the Glacier Tournament in June. Two teams with 15 girls competed against Class AA squads.
Hannah also said Libby has scrimmaged Eureka twice this summer with the junior varsity sweeping five games and the varsity winning one of four.
“It’s a big tournament and we usually struggle, but the varsity held their own and played well,” Hannah said.
She also said the team has held open gyms twice a week in the summer and about 10 to 20 players have attended.
Last week, the team welcomed North Idaho College coaches Brittany Tilleman and Missy Fleshman and players Rachel Stacey and Jessie Stires for a two-day camp.
Tilleman was named the head volleyball coach in May. She played volleyball, basketball and softball at Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene. Her team won a state softball title in 2013.
Tilleman continued her volleyball and softball career at North Idaho College. As part of the 2015 volleyball team, the Cardinals finished fifth at the NJCAA National Tournament before the college moved to the NWAC in 2016. Tilleman was an All-American for 2016.
After her time at NIC, Tilleman transferred to the University of Montana to pursue her bachelor's degree and continue her volleyball career. As a senior, her team qualified for the Big Sky Championships. Tilleman received the Heart of the Grizzly Award and Most Inspirational Player in her two seasons there. She graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor's Degree in Health and Human Performance - Exercise Science.
Following her education, Tilleman coached volleyball for three seasons at Hellgate High School.
Hannah said players in grades fourth through sixth had 16 attend while seventh through 12th grades had 30.
“We hope to continue this camp annually as it has been a great way to grow our program and continue skill development in the younger grades,” Hannah said. “Our goal is to build a lifelong love of volleyball and competition.”
Hannah and her assistants, Angie Houston and Lindsay Beaty, are looking forward to the season which begins next month, Aug. 25-26 at the Columbia Falls tournament. “I am extremely excited about our upcoming season this fall!” Hannah said.
