For spikers, stats are nice, but wins elusive

The Kats continue to struggle on the volleyball court, though individual players are posting impressive conference stats.

The volleyball team lost all three of its homecoming games last Thursday against Whitefish, 25-15, 25-19, 25-18. The girls did post one win against the Libby Saturday, but gave up three games to the Loggers, 16-25, 25-16, 25-12, 25-20.

The Kats were swept Tuesday night by the Ronan Maidens, 27-25, 25-12, 25-18.

"We're young," said coach Addy Connelly. "We got a good win in our first win against Libby. We're making progress in the right direction. I have two girls down with injuries who played some big roles. We're trying to fill those shoes.

Shaun Rowe and Gabriella Stenger are benched with injuries, but Connelly is confident they'll be in playing condition by divisionals in early November. Despite a worrisome knee, Stenger ranks fourth in the Northwest Montana 'A' conference with 40 digs in 13 games.

"We're going to stick with it," Connelly said. "We'll keep working hard in practice. We've got some girls that are playing up, girls that are doing their best to fill those positions. That's all a coach can ask.

"When divisionals come around, which is about a month out, we should be ready to go. The ultimate goal is divisionals. At that point it's anybody's game. Just 'cause you're last coming in doesn't mean anything at divisionals. We're working hard to keep improving."

Sophomore Hope Burlage is ranked fourth in the conference with 50 assists in 15 games.

"She should have the most assists because that's her job," Connelly said. "She's playing really hard. As a sophomore, you've got to be mentally tough to be playing out there on the varsity court."

Junior Erika Nelson ranks eighth in assists with 34 assists in 15 games. Danielle Gilley continues to make top ten rankings in digs, blocks and receiving ratio.

Connelly is confident her players will still meld their talents before the end of the season.

"It's just a matter of when we all put it together, we're going to be really good," she said. "When we can put all of those highs together, we're going to be pretty darn good, and that comes with time."

Whitefish def. C Falls 3-0

Kills - Whitefish 29 (Heather Bailey 8), Columbia Falls 28 (Danielle Gilley 9). Blocks - Whitefish 8 (Olivia Nagler 4), Columbia Falls 3 (Gilley 2). Digs - Whitefish 38 (Nagler 8), Columbia Falls 47 (Gilley 12). Assists - Whitefish 28 (Nagler 18), Columbia Falls 24 (Hope Burlage 15). Aces - Whitefish 4 (Taylor Havens 2), Columbia Falls 2.

Libby def. C Falls 3-1

Kills - Columbia Falls 27 (Danielle Gilley 6), Libby 34 (Kim Tangen 12). Blocks - Columbia Falls 5 (Jessie Gist 2), Libby 3 (Lauren Wepprecht, Becky Boulware). Digs - Columbia Falls 35 (Gilley 10), Libby 29 (Alyssa Walker 11). Assists - Columbia Falls 22 (Hope Burlage 13), Libby 30 (Lexie Hageness 27). Aces - Columbia Falls 8 (Erin Hill 3), Libby 21 (Alex Kulbeck 8).

Ronan def. C Falls, 3-0

Kills - Ronan 32 (Alice VanGunten 9), Columbia Falls 25 (Jessie Gist 8). Blocks - Ronan 1, Columbia Falls 1. Digs - Ronan 45 (Marissa McCrea 20), Columbia Falls 50 (Burlage 13, Gilley 10). Assists - Ronan 22 (Taylor Lynch 11), Columbia Falls 18 (Hope Burlage 11). Aces - Ronan 12 (McCrea 5, Tuesday Salmon 5), Columbia Falls 8 (Burlage 2, Gabrielle Stenger 2).