Whitefish volleyball reloads talented roster
Bulldog sophomore Isabella Hartwig strikes the ball over the net against Stillwater on Thursday at Whitefish High School. (Whitney England/Whitefish Pilot)
Whitefish made the Class A state volleyball tournament in 2023 and has five seniors returning for the 2024 campaign.
While the Northwestern A conference is always a difficult league with so many volleyball powers, the Lady Bulldogs look like they can make some noise.
“The team did a great job [last year],” Whitefish Head Coach Addy Connelly said. “We had a great group of girls that worked hard. I was very proud of the effort and the outcome of our season.”
The Lady Bulldogs went 17-12 overall and 11-1 in conference play, winning the Northwestern A title. Coming back with that trophy experience for Whitefish is all-conference player Myli Ridgeway, Kaydence Blackwell, Maggie Mercer, all-state player Izzy Hartwig and Yoli Krastev, all seniors.
Connelly was also named Northwestern A Conference Coach of the Year.
In addition, Whitefish will be adding two juniors — Eleanor Archie and Camry Kelch — and four freshmen: Allie Shors, Izze Short, Annabelle Barrile, and Stella Frisbee.
“I expect that we will continue to be very competitive,” Connelly said. “The girls have been working hard in the off-season and are ready to go. We have a lot of versatility in our players and they play well together with great communication. We do our best to control our game and take care of the ball.”
Connelly added she expects each conference team to come out strong this year, especially against a state team like Whitefish.
“It’s important for us to play our game and control the controllables,” Connelly said.