Lady Dogs looking ahead after early troubles
Marlee Bender rises for the kill during a loss to Libby on Friday. (Daniel McKay/Whitefish Pilot)
It hasn’t been the start the Lady Dogs were looking for on the court this year.
Just days after an internal argument led to long-time head coach Jackie Fuller’s resignation, Whitefish found some more adversity in their home opener against Libby.
Libby swept the Lady Dogs in three sets, 25-20, 25-19, 25-16.
In the first two sets Whitefish held on close but couldn’t finish, letting close 21-20 and 22-18 deficits get away late. In the third set, the Lady Dogs fought back after a quick Libby run to cut the lead to 15-14, but another scoring burst put Whitefish away for good.
Cailyn Ross had 13 kills for Whitefish while Marlee Bender had 5 blocks.
Becca Catina led the team with 19 assists and Serena Hemmingson led in digs with 27.
Whitefish was set to take on Polson yesterday after press time.
On Saturday they’ll head to Browning before hosting Columbia Falls the following week for homecoming.
Libby def. Whitefish — 25-20, 25-19, 25-16
Kills — 42 (Brooklyn Rainer 15), Whitefish 30 (Cailyn Ross 13); Blocks — Libby 15 (Emily Mossburg 9), Whitefish 7 (Marlee Bender 5); Assists — Libby 41 (Alli Collins 39), Whitefish 28 (Becca Catina 19); Digs — Libby 65 (Emma Gruber 15), Whitefish 65 (Serena Hemmingson 27); Aces — Libby 5 (Jessika Jones 2, Collins 2), Whitefish 4 (Lauren Schulz 2, Ross 2).