Valkyries take tough district loss at home

The Valkyries volleyball team is now an even 3-3 in district play after enduring a disappointing loss Saturday at home against Thompson Falls, which took them out of contention for hosting the District 7B Tournament later this month.

Bigfork won its first sets over the Lady Bluehawks 25-20, but that was the only win the Vals had that night. Thompson Falls swept the next three sets – 25-19, 25-14 and 25-23.

“We came out nervous, and then we got that win under our belt and I thought that would help calm the nerves,” said Bigfork head volleyball coach Tracy Wicklund. “But that wasn’t the case. The rhythm just wasn’t there. Thompson falls did a great job of coming out and playing hard. They were doing everything right.”

There were, of course, bright spots in the night for Bigfork.

“We had moments of doing what we needed to do. It just didn’t carry on throughout the whole game,” Wicklund said. “Tessa (Robertson) was doing a good job up at the net, but we just had low energy about everything we did. Kianna (Wicklund) had some great digs in the back.”

Robertson, a sophomore, led the Valkyries in kills with 10 and also made two blocks. Wicklund, a senior, made 17 of Bigfork’s 73 digs. Senior Melissa VanDerveer had a big night as well, with eight kills, 13 digs and three aces. Fellow senior Amber McDaniel led the team at the net with five blocks, and also put in three aces. Senior Taylor Peck was the set assist leader with 10 of the Vals’ 12.

“I hope that they learn that we need to bring it every game,” Wicklund said of the loss. “We need to keep the intensity up and play the game we know how to play.”

The Valkyries were to play against Stillwater Christian School on Friday prior to the Thompson Falls match, but opted to cancel that game so they could focus on Saturday’s game and attend the football team’s Senior Night game against Missoula Loyola.

Week ahead

This is the Valkyries’ final week of regular season play. They host Troy on Friday and Plains on Saturday. Both are District 7B opponents, and the outcomes of those matches will weigh heavily on the standings and postseason, which is why Wicklund is working extra hard to get the girls ready mentally.

“We’re working on just going out there and getting them comfortable in their ability and knowing that they have unlimited potential,” Wicklund said. “They just need to go out there and trust each other.”

In addition to the games determining seeding for the postseason, Saturday’s game will have some added twists. It is Senior Night for the Valkyries and is also Pink Out night in support of cancer awareness.

Postseason Changes

Due to the rearranging of the conferences this year, District 7B only has five teams in it. Therefore, changes were made to the postseason plan.

Until this year, volleyball teams played in a two-day District 7B tournament at a neutral location with the top four teams advancing to the Western B Divisional tournament to play the top four teams from District 6B for one of the West’s two spots at state.

However, this year in District 7B the two teams that finish the regular season in the bottom two spots in the standings — fourth and fifth — will play each other in a play-in match on Tuesday, Oct. 25. The location of that game will be determined based on which two teams are involved. The Vals are not yet safe from the loser-out match. If they win both their games this week they should be fine, and even one win may do it according to Wicklund, but it is hard to say with the other teams still playing in district games as well.

The team that loses the play-in match will be finished for the season. The team that wins will join the other three teams in the one-day District 7B tournament, which will be held Saturday, Oct. 29 at the home court of the team that finishes the regular season in first place. At this point that looks to be either Eureka (Lincoln County) or Thompson Falls, though this week is filled with vital games in terms of seeding for many teams.

The top four teams at the district tournament will advance to the divisional tournament Nov. 3-5 in Eureka.