Kats finish season on a strong note

The Columbia Falls girls volleyball team ended its season on a high note, taking third at the divisional tourney.

The Kats opened the tournament with a sweep against Ronan 25-10, 25-21, 25-9, then lost to Polson 25-15, 26-24, 25-16. The Kats battled back to beat Whitefish Saturday, 21-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-12, 15-8 to secure third place.

Brooke Cady had a great game against the Dogs, knocking down 21 kills in the Kats first victory against Whitefish this season. Shay Grilley had 42 assists, as the Kats battled back from two games down.

"They finished strong for the season and that was great," said coach Addy Hines. "We talked a lot on Friday night about being focused on volleyball. We saw huge stats (in the Whitefish game) that we haven't seen all year."

They faced Polson a second time in the consolation final, but lost 25-20, 25-20, 25-11 to end their season.

The Kats final record was 6-11 overall and 4-8 in conference play.

Hines said after a short break, the girls will start playing again at least once a week and will also do weight training. During the season, players lifted weights almost every day.

The Kats will lose six seniors but there's promise in the younger age groups. The JV team finished 8-6 overall and 4-4 in conference, and the freshmen were 8-6 overall.

Libby won the tournament and Polson finished second. Both advance to the state tournament in Bozeman this weekend.

Columbia Falls def. Ronan

25-10, 25-21, 25-9.

Kills - Columbia Falls 24 (Brooke Cady 8, Kayla DeWit 7), Ronan 7 (Chelsey Bourden 4). Blocks - Columbia Falls 5 (DeWit 3), Ronan 11 (Tailyr Irvine 6). Digs - Columbia Falls 56 (Cassi Skiles 17, Cady 10, Tianna Burns 10), Ronan 23 (Katie Andrews 6, Alice Van Gunten 6). Assists - Columbia Falls 17 (Shay Grilley 16), Ronan 5 (Lyndsie Conklin 2, Andrews 2). Aces - Columbia Falls 13 (Cady 6, Skiles 3), Ronan 3 (Andrews 2).

Second round

Polson def. Columbia Falls

25-15, 26-24, 25-16

Kills - Polson 45 (Nicole Davey 15), Columbia Falls 17 (Danielle Grilley 4, Kayla DeWit 4). Blocks - Polson 3 (Davey, Sallie Dams, Kayla Duford), Columbia Falls 3 (Jessi Gist 2). Digs - Polson 66 (Staci Benson 20), Columbia Falls 31 (Brooke Cady 8, Casidee Skilles 8). Assists - Polson 39 (Duford 37), Columbia Falls 13 (Shay Grilley 13). Aces - Polson 6 (Breanne Kelley 5), Columbia Falls 4 (DeWit 2).

Loser-out Play

Columbia Falls def. Whitefish

21-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-12, 15-8

Kills - Columbia Falls 46 (Brooke Cady 21, Kayla DeWit 11), Whitefish NA; Blocks - Columbia Falls 6 (DeWit 2), Whitefish NA; Assists - Columbia Falls 42 (Shay Gilley 42), Whitefish NA; Digs - Columbia Falls 74 (Cassidee Skiles 29), Whitefish NA; Aces - Columbia Falls 15 (Skiles 5, Grilley 4).

Consolation Final

Polson def. Columbia Falls

25-20, 25-20, 25-11

Kills - Polson 35 (Nicole Davey 8, Loni Havlovick 8, Sallie Sams 8), Columbia Falls 25 (Brooke Cady 8); Blocks - Polson 4 (Sams 3), Columbia Falls 6 (Kayla DeWit 2); Assists - Polson 31 (Kayla Duford 29), Columbia Falls 22 (Shay Grilley 19); Digs - Polson 62 (Staci Benson 25), Columbia Falls 43 (Cassidee Skiles 17); Aces - Polson 10 (Davey 5), Columbia Falls 6 (DeWit 2, Cady 2).