Whitefish goes 8-2 at Tip-Off Tourney

The Whitefish volleyball team kicked off its season last weekend, taking fourth overall in the Northwest vs. Southwest Tip-Off tournament held at Whitefish High School.

“I thought the tournament went well overall for everybody,” Lady Bulldog head coach Jackie Fuller said. “It was exciting to hold it in our facility and actually be home.”

Whitefish finished the tournament with a second-best 8-2 record, but fell to Corvallis in the third-place game. Columbia Falls took down Butte Central to win the 10-team tournament.

Fuller said she’s been happy with the work ethic her players have brought to the court, but noted defensive issues that need to be addressed sooner than later.

“We need to play better defense, and that’s something I’m going to hound them on all year. We need to start being better with blocking, because that’s where your defense starts. We’ve got a long season ahead of us, and we’ve got a lot of things we’ve got to get better at,” Fuller said.

Fuller said she was happy to see strong play from juniors Becca Catina and Libby Nagler. Mirielle Kruger and captains Kate Doorn and Nina Thew are the team’s senior leaders this season.

The goal for the season is constant improvement, Fuller said.

“Our biggest goal is that we just get better every time we step on the floor. If we do the little things well, then big things will come to us. But we need to worry about taking things one day at a time,” she said.

The Bulldogs travel to Hamilton and Corvallis for a double-header Saturday.