Hi-Line Volleyball Roundup

When it comes to high school volleyball, there really is nothing like conference play. And while area teams have been hard at work since the middle of August, the fun really got going this weekend.

Along the Hi-Line, conference matches began, and there were already several big ones in just the first weekend.

The North Star Knights’ week began on a high note and it ended that way as well. Thursday night in Gildford, the Knights swept Hays-Lodge Pole in a pair of league matches. In the first match, North Star beat the Thunderbirds by scores of 25-10, 25-8 and 25-5. It was a dominating performance for the Knights, with six kills from Melissa Pester and 11 assists from Graysen Spicher. The Knights also got nine aces from senior Bettie Carlon.

In the second match, North Star was equally as good, beating the T-Birds by scores of 25-5, 25-7 and 25-6. Carlon totaled six kills, while Spicher had eight assists and a whopping eight service aces.

District 6C East action kept going Friday night as the Big Sandy Pioneers outlasted the Chinook Sugarbeeters in five sets in Big Sandy. The Pioneers won by scores of 25-21, 21-25, 19-25, 25-21 and 15-5. After coming back from a 2-1 deficit, the Pioneers dominated the fifth set.

Brooke Leader had nine kills for the Pioneers, while Molly Herron had five blocks and 42 digs and Kylie Cline added 15 digs and 15 assists.

Friday night also saw an old Hi-Line rivalry renewed as Rocky Boy and Harlem met in Rocky Boy. And it was the 1B Morning Stars who defeated the 2B Wildcats by scores of 25-13, 25-18, 22-25 and 25-17. Codi Parker had 18 kills and two blocks for Rocky Boy, while Savannah Stump added 12 kills and Jurnee LaForge had 12 service aces. Harlem got six kills, five aces, eight assists and one block from Erin LaMere.

Back in the 6C East Saturday night, two more rivalry matches took place.

In Rudyard, the Knights took down Big Sandy by scores of 25-23, 20-25, 25-17 and 25-23. The match could be a preview of things to come this season, and the two teams will meet again next month.

Melissa Pester and Bettie Carlon paced North Star in kills, while Pester and Sheridan O’Neil combined to lead the team in blocks. Mackenzie Hansen and Tylynn Rettig paced the defensive effort with 10 digs each. Big Sandy got seven of its 24 kills from Brooke Leader, while Kaylie Gilman had four blocks and Kylie Cline and Shelby Gasvoda each had two aces.

Meanwhile, in Chester, the visiting Chinook Sugarbeeters bested the host Chester/J-I Hawks in a five-set marathon. The Beeters won by scores of 13-25, 25-13, 25-11, 19-25 and 15-2. Chinook senior Makhayla Farmer had a big match, totaling 23 kills, seven blocks and eight aces. Emily Dennis added 14 digs. The Hawks got a big all-around effort from Alllix Goldhahn, who had seven kills, 10 digs and two aces.

In the District 1B Saturday, the Morning Stars were on the road and lost to Cut Bank by scores of 25-12, 25-11 and 25-20. Against the Wolves, Jurnee LaForge had four kills and Tisha Big Knife added three aces.

Things didn’t go any better for Harlem in the 2B. The Wildcats were beaten in four sets by rival Wolf Point in Harlem. Wolf Point beat the Wildcats by scores of 25-18, 25-23, 20-25 and 25-19, though Harlem put up a tough fight.

In the loss, Erin LaMere had six kills and four assists, while Coco Moore added three aces.

Thursday

In Gildford

North Star def. Hays-Lodge Pole

25-10, 25-8, 25-5

Hays-Lodge Pole – No stats available

North Star – Kills Melissa Pester 6, Assists Graysen Spicher 11; Aces Bettie Carlon 9; Digs Tylynn Rettig 23.

North Star def. Hays-Lodge Pole

25-5, 25-7, 25-6

Hays-Lodge Pole – no stats available

North Star – Kills Bettie Carlon 6; Assists Graysen Spicher 8; Aces – Spicher 8; Digs Spicher 7; blocks Melissa Pester 1, Sheridan O’Neal 1.

Friday

At Rocky Boy

Rocky Boy def. Harlem

25-13, 25-18, 22-25, 25-17

Harlem: Aces 10 (Erin LaMere 5), Kills 26 (LaMere 6, Ticia Cliff 6), Blocks 2 (Coco Moore 1, LaMere 1), Digs 48 (Emma Lamebull 9), Assists 12 (LaMere 8)

Rocky Boy: Aces 25 (Jurnee LaForge 12, Tisha Big Knife 6), Blocks 4 (Codi Parker 2), Kills 47 (Parker 18, Savannah Stump 12), Assists 37 (Allison Windy Boy 37), Digs 23 (Rainey Singer 15, LaForge 5)

At Big Sandy

Big Sandy def. Chinook

25-21, 21-25, 19-25, 25-21, 15-5

Chinook -- stats not available.

Big Sandy -- Kills: 32 (Brooke Leader 9). Blocks: 11 (Molly Herron 5). Aces: 9 (Kylie Cline 4). Digs: 42 (Herron 14). Assists: 30 (Cline 15). 

Saturday

At Rudyard

North Star def. Big Sandy

25-23, 20-25, 25-17, 25-23

Big Sandy leaders – Kills 24 (Brooke Leader 7); assists 19 (Kylie Cline 4); aces 6 (Kylie Cline 2, Shelby Gasvoda 2); digs 31 (Molly Herron 7, Shelby Gasvoda 7); blocks 6 (Kaylie Gilman 4).

North Star leaders – Kills NA (Melissa Pester NA, Bettie Carlon NA); assists NA (Graysen Spicher NA, Bettie Carlon NA); aces NA; digs NA (Mackenzie Hansen NA, Tylynn Rettig NA); blocks NA (Melissa Pester NA, Sheridan O’Neil NA).

At Harlem

Wolf Point def. Harlem

25-18, 25-23, 20-25, 25-19

Harlem leaders – Kills 21 (Erin LaMere 6); assists 7 (Erin LaMere 4); aces 11 (Coco Moore 3); digs 39 (Ticia Cliff 9, Tyra Allen 9); blocks 11 (Monique Doney 2).

Wolf Point leaders – Kills 23 (Christean Holen 9); assists 19 (Sarah Hafner 16); aces 19 (Sonica Archdale 7); digs 19 (Christean Holen 6); blocks 7 (T’Elle Evans 3).

At Chester

Chinook def. Chester/J-I

13-25, 25-13, 25-11, 19-25, 15-2

C/J-I leaders – Kills 14 (Allix Goldhahn 7); assists 7 (Emma Earl 6); aces 4 (Allix Goldhahn 2); digs 41 (Allix Goldhahn 10); blocks 1 (Madeline Woods 1).

Chinook leaders – Kills 51 (Makhayla Farmer 23); assists 35 (Hannah Weber 26); aces 18 (Makhayla Farmer 8); digs 52 (Emily Dennis 14); blocks 13 (Makhayla Farmer 7).

At Cut Bank

Cut Bank def. Rocky Boy

25-12, 25-11, 25-20

Rocky Boy leaders – Kills 6 (Jurnee LaForge 4); assists 6 (Allison Windy Boy 6); aces 3 (Tisha Big Knife3); digs 32 (Rainey Singer NA); blocks 0.

Cut Bank leaders – Kills 23 (Kayla Leary 8); assists 22 (Paige Larson 15); aces 12 (Paige Leary 5); digs 20 (Duana Gobert 7); blocks 6 (Jenny Vaile 2).