It's tourney time

The Lady Bulldogs volleyball squad picked up some momentum going into the divisional tournament with consecutive wins over Ronan and Stevensville.

The team is the third seed in the double elimination tourney — slated to start Nov. 5 in Libby — and will open with a tough match against the No. 2 ranked Lady Loggers at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

"Those wins (against Ronan and Stevensville) are a great boost going into divisional," Lady Bulldog coach Jackie Fuller said.

"Now, we have to play good team ball and focus in on our defense. We have to control the momentum on to our side. I think the kids are right where they need to be."

Libby (6-2, 8-4) topped Whitefish (4-4, 6-5) twice in conference games this season, but the Lady Bulldogs scored a win against the Loggers at the Missoula Invitational on Oct. 24.

"They (Libby) have powerful hitters and a great setter," Fuller said. "We have to take care of our side and play our game. It's tournament time, so it's anybody's game."

Libby is second in the league in service aces and kills, while Whitefish is second in digs and blocks — a testament to the 'Dogs defensive abilities.

Whitefish will look to seniors Jessica Slaybaugh and Molly Filipek as vocal leaders on the court, while the offense will flow throuh Kaitlyn Wehrli.

"Wherli has to be ready to go," Fuller said. "And we need Olivia Nagler to come out strong. She can add a lot of fire power."

Whitefish 3, Stevensville 2

Whitefish capped off their regular season with a thrilling five-game win over the Stevensville Yellowjackets Oct. 31.

The Lady 'Dogs jumped out to an early 7-1 lead in the first game behind precise serving from Filipek who opened the scoring with an ace.

After Wehrli closed out the set with a cross-court kill followed by a service ace, it looked as if the Bulldogs might roll to an easy victory.

Whitefish continued their strong play in the second game by building a 10-2 lead, but Stevensville clawed their way back into the match with good defense.

After Stevensville tied the game at 25-25, the Bulldogs made consecutive unforced errors to hand the game to the 'Jackets.

The teams split the next two games to set up a showdown in the fifth frame.

Bailey stepped up in the finale with strong defensive play and by knocking in a key point up the middle to break a 9-9 tie — one of nine ties in the game.

With the score knotted up again at 13-13 and the Halloween-themed crowd on their feet, Nagler pounded down a huge one-timer that caught Stevensville's defense out of position.

The ball landed in the middle of an open court and the bleachers erupted with cheers for the home team.

Whitefish sealed the game on the next play to escape with a 3-2 win.