Wildkats sweep rival Whitefish

By JOE SOVA / Hungry Horse News

Something's gotta give when Columbia Falls and Whitefish meet for the third time this season on the volleyball court — this time in the first round of the Northwestern A Divisional Tournament on Thursday at Polson. Match time is 5 p.m.

The Wildkats could not have gone into the Divisional tourney on a better note — a sweep of Whitefish to cap the regular season Friday — Senior Night — in the CFHS gym. The Kats returned the favor, getting revenge for a loss in three games to the Bulldogs early in the season.

CFHS won the first game, rallying from a 19-13 deficit for a 25-23 victory. But it was an eye-opening 16-point turnaround in the second set that set the tone for the rest of the match. Trailing 9-1, the Kats got on a roll — using a 24-8 run to claim a 25-17 win.

With senior Alyssa Ladenburg at the service line, the Kats stormed to a 7-0 lead in the third game. The Bulldogs were within 14-12 midway through, but CFHS used a 7-4 run to put the match away, 25-19.

It was the first win for Addy Hines in her three years as CFHS head coach, and the first sweep of the Bulldogs in a long time.

"The girls did what I knew they could do," Hines said, "and it was a perfect time for it."

Hines said the Kats had an excellent week of practice in preparing for their rivals, and they talked a lot about avoiding a second-game letdown.

In the first game, the Kats took a two-point lead on two Ladenburg kills. Within two points of the win, CFHS scored on a Whitefish net serve and got the game-winner on a kill by Kayla DeWit.

DeWit and Ladenburg sparked the Kats comeback in the second set, taking advantage of a number of Bulldog mistakes.

An ace by Ladenburg and kills by Brooke Cady gave the Kats a 7-0 lead in the third game. The Kats got to match point on an Ashley Anderson ace and Ladenburg kill, and a hammer by Ladenburg put the Bulldogs away.

"We just really wanted it," Ladenburg said after the victory. "We had the drive … We communicated a lot better, we got our serves in. We were blocking much better.

Hines had praise for Shiloh Knudsen for her play, as well as DeWit, the 6-foot-1 sophomore.

"Our seniors stepped up tonight," Hines said of Ladenburg, Amanda Milliard and Cedar Smith. "It was a team effort."

The 5-foot-5 Ladenburg led the Kats with 10 kills, and DeWit added eight. Cassidee Skiles dished out 27 assists. Smith led in digs with 21. Cady had three blocks.

If the fifth-seeded Kats (3-7 in Northwestern A) beat No. 4 Whitefish in the Divisional opener, they would face top-seeded Libby at 11 a.m. Friday.

"Our confidence is really wide open right now," Ladenburg said. "We finally realized that we're competitors. We'll be ready."

Polson, the No. 3 seed, plays sixth-seeded Ronan at 7 p.m. Friday. The winner faces No. 2 Bigfork at 1 p.m. Friday. The championship match is set for 5 p.m. Saturday. The top two teams qualify for the state tournament Nov. 20-22 in Bozeman.