Day two, part five: the end of an era

Polson came back to the arena to face Fergus. The Pirates dropped the game in three 18-25, 20-25, 24-26.

This puts the Pirates in fourth place in the state tournament.

The Pirates came out for its game against Fergus looking slow. The players seemed to know where they were supposed to be but getting there a fraction of a second late.

At one point, Polson found themselves down by eight points.

In the beginning of the second set, Polson held its only lead of the game. Sallie Sams stepped up and provided great blocking for Polson. She had three blocks in a row that each led to points for the Pirates. They never gave up, coming back to trail by five.

The third set showed a better Pirate team. They never trailed by more than four points and that was at the beginning of the set.

Christa Red Crow knocked her right leg when she dove for a ball and was taken out of the game for a couple points. Kayla Duford served two aces in a row to bring the Pirates within two points.

Polson came back to a 18-17 score. Than Fergus scored. Than Polson scored. It went this way until the score was tied at 24. Fergus scored two more points to end the game and the Pirates season.

Duford served four aces and Nicole Davey had two. Breanne Kelley had 10 kills, Sallie Sams had all four of Polson's blocks and Riley Kenney led with 15 digs.

Each Polson player was upset about the loss, but head coach Jan Toth said "I couldn't have asked for more" as she walked off the court with her team.

Two years ago, this team went 1-17 and didn't make it out of the divisional tournament.

This year, they took fourth with many of the same players from that team. Four seniors, Staci Benson, Loni Havlovic, Red Crow and Davey, have seen this team at the bottom and at the top. Each has led the team. I did get a chance to sit down with the four of them before the divisional tournament. Look for that story in the newspaper in the coming weeks.

See this week's Leader for extended coverage and pictures of the State tournament.

Day two, part four: an eagle

So in the last two hours, I have ate four cookies, drank cups of Mountain Dew and been harassed by a life-size, furry eagle.

Yes, an eagle.

Class A Fergus’ mascot is an eagle. So, in true mascot fashion, the eagle wandered around the arena, playing with little kids and messing with those in the stands, including me.

There was a small child who was afraid of the bird, screaming bloody murder and running back to his mother.

If my mom was here, I would have ran to her too, so she could tell the animal to leave me alone. I’m working.

All in all, the bird was kinda funny to watch wander around. The looks people threw its way were of amusement and wonder.

Fergus won and will face Polson. I guess I’ll have to avoid the eagle during that game.

From my perch in the stands, I can see all four games going on. It is a nightmare for someone who has attention span issues. My focus jumps each time a section of the crowd cheers.

Class C is running away with my unofficial award for best fans. Each team’s town seems to have cleared out and attended the tournament. Large student sections dressed in their team’s colors yell (very encouraging) things.

There must be an uneven step or something at the top of section 108. I have counted 10 people trip on that step since I sat down. I try not to laugh, as I am just as clumsy and have tripped over my computer cord three or so times in the media room, but it gets me every time.

Some say easily amused.

I wouldn’t disagree.

Day two, part three: the show down

Libby might have taken the divisional crown from Polson, but Polson took revenge and ended the Loggers' season. This comes after Polson's three-set win over Libby 25-22, 25-21, 25-17.

The first set had Polson taking an early lead and never giving it up. Nicole Davey stepped up in this set with her serving and kills. The Pirates lead grew to six points but Loni Havlovick made a couple kills to put the set away.

Senior middle hitter Loni Havlovick reaches for a kill.

The second set started closer with the score tied five times. Double blocks are what helped Polson in this match.

Polson established the lead early on but Libby never backed down. After Jackie Mee hit Christa Red Crow in the head with a kill, Polson took it to the Loggers.

As Duford dished out the ball, Polson’s hitters knocked it down.

With the score at 17-13 in favor of Polson, Mee collided with her own player and went down. After a couple minutes on the ground, she limped over to the bench. It looked to be a knee or ankle injury. She sat out for a couple points before returning. The ball was served to her and she made a slow attempt to handle it. She then returned to the bench for the rest of the game.

This may or may not have taken the wind out of Libby’s sails as Polson sailed to a 25-17 win.

The Pirates were so excited to take the win. The bench was loud and the fans in the stands want the win just as much as the volleyball team.

Four Pirates had at least two aces, with Davey serving three and putting down 15 kills. Davey also showed grit and dug out 15 digs. Havlovick made her presence at the net known often and officially tallied two blocks.

Senior outside hitter Nicole Davey goes up for a kill.

The Pirates advance to take on the winner of the Fergus (Lewistown)/Park (Livingston) match. The game will be Polson’s last of the day no matter the outcome. It will be the Pirates third game in ten hours.

Polson will have four hours to rest up before the start of their next game. The Pirates didn’t look one bit tired against Libby. They played with the same intensity and energy level as they did in any other game I have watched of theirs. I guess two hours isn’t enough time for exhaustion to set in. However, four hours might be a nice amount of time to sit and rest but the lactic acid might have enough time to set in as well.

The win secures that the worst Polson can do is fourth.

I can guess what the Pirates will be doing in the next four hours: eating, resting, recovering.

As for me, I have no idea. I don’t really want to venture out into Bozeman. The fear of get lost and/or stranded scares me too much and finding a parking spot five steps from the entrance doors upon my return is unlikely. That was one of the few perks of 10 a.m. game. The other would be fresh coffee and muffins that weren't stale from sitting out all day. It's the small things in life, my mom says.

There's pizza and cookies in the media room, or as some lovingly refer to it, the think tank.

"The braun is what the brains write about," is how one reporter put it.

I'll probably stake out a comfy blue plastic chair in the stands and work. Since the only place to get internet is IN the stands, I might as well. Funny how you can't get internet in the media room, where it is needed the most but you get a clear-as-day, full signal in the stands, where it really isn't needed. Also a coincidence, I'm writing this blog for "On the bleachers" while I'm in the bleachers. So fitting.

Day two, part two: the first game

Well, it will be a Northwestern A match-up in two point five

hours. Polson beat Hardin in four sets to escape elimination 19-25, 25-16, 25-13, 25-21.

The first match saw Hardin up by four points at one time in the match. Polson couldn’t overcome the gap to win.

Senior outside hitter Christa Red Crow goes up for a block.

A first-set loss put things into perspective for the Pirates as the team became more vocal.

In the second set, the Pirates never relinquished the lead. Nicole Davey and Riley Kenney came to life with a one-two punch of kills to propel Polson to the win.

The third set was dominated by Polson. Up by eight points at one point, the Pirates found a way around Hardin’s blockers. Marissa McCrea served a couple big points in the set.

Polson deflated a little bit in the fourth set but never fell behind. Loni Havlovick pounded the ball a couple times with great sets from Kayla Duford.

Breanne Kelley served two aces. Davey led in kills, with 18, and had 28 digs. Stacie Benson also had 28 digs in a tested back row. Loni Havlovick put up three blocks for the Pirates.

Senior Staci Benson hits the ball from the back row.

This was Polson’s first state tournament win. Last year, the Pirates were out after losing two games.

This year, one goal of the Pirates was to win a game. Now they will face a familiar foe: Libby.

The mental game running between these two teams is exhausting. Polson won twice in the regular season but Libby won the first game between these two in the divisional tournament.

The Pirates won the first championship game but Libby took home the crown with a win in the second championship game.

This game will be tense, so put it lightly. The loser goes home. The winner lives to see another game.

A key for Polson will be to shut down Libby’s star Jackie Mee. However, I feel pretty confident that both teams already know how to win.

Polson will go into the match with a little over an hour of rest while Libby's last game was at 8 p.m. last night. Polson's hitter's arms have been known to get sore after a tough game, so that could be a factor. Right now, they are hanging out in the stands watching the games, relaxing and getting some food in their stomachs. Some of them have headed down to the locker room. Less than one hour to go until game time.

The one thing I do know: this game will be good.

Day two, part one: preparation

When I went to shovel off my car from under a foot of snow, the radio told me it was a blistering fifteen degrees outside. Not bad.

The drive to the gym wasn’t bad at all this time. I knew where to go and when to turn.

The highway was sanded so that helped, as did the sun. I only saw one truck in the ditch compared to the ten I saw last night on my way back to the hotel.

Best moment of the morning: I’m cruising in the right hand lane, going with traffic. Out of nowhere, a car goes by me in the left-hand lane, speeding along like it’s in a high speed chase.

I cursed the car, saying it was going to get in an accident. After taking a look at the license plates, I ate my words. Minnesota. That made my morning.

Libby lost their evening game last night, so if Polson wins their game this morning, the rivals will meet in the biggest game the two teams have played thus far.

State tournament, Day one

First off, sorry about the late update. There is a snowstorm in Bozeman and the Internet at the arena was knocked out for some time.

Polson opened up play in the Class A tourney facing Anaconda.

In three sets, Polson lost 23-25, 21-25, 18-25.

Stats:

Aces: Kayla Duford, 3

Nicole Davey, 1

Marissa McCrea, 1

Kills: Breanne Kelley, 12

Nicole Davey, 9

Assists: Kayla Duford, 25

Blocks: Nicole Davey, 1

Sallie Sams, 1

Digs: Staci Benson, 23

Kayla Duford, 22

Christa Red Crow, 16

Polson didn’t have the blocking to stop Anaconda’s kills. The Pirates were able to use their back row and dig up the kills.

Polson will take on Hardin, the second seed form the central division tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.

Libby beat Stevensville in three 25-15; 25-19; 25-15. Jackie Mee was on point and Stevensville couldn’t control her kills. The Loggers are playing Billings Central as I type away. Its updated after each game is over.

Here is the Class A bracket after the first day of competition.

Tomorrow, I hope to have a more frequently updated blog. Hopefully, the snow will stop. There were grumblings that another foot of snow will fall overnight.

I love snow and winter but when I’m driving in a city/state that I’m unfamiliar with, it can be nerve-wracking.

Yes, I did get lost on the way to the gym, but I found my way after a good 15-minute scenic tour of Bozeman.

The state tournament atmosphere is pretty cool. There are four games going on at one time. The media room is also something I’ve never experienced before. Every reporter is set up with their laptop, typing away. They all seem to know each other and no one is worried about “the competition.”

In between games, its packed and the competition to find a table spot rivals the competition happening in the games. Many have two or more teams to follow and are constantly emailing, writing or editing pictures, sometimes all at once.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day. I’m going to cover Polson and Libby, so I’m going to end this one early.

State tournaments

When I was in high school, none of the teams I participated on made it that far in the post season. We tried but those elusive state tournaments were attended by teams that beat us.
In 10th grade, our boys hockey team made it to the big show. In Minnesota, making it to the hockey state tournament is a BIG DEAL. You get to miss school for a week.
You get to play in an NHL arena that is PACKED every game.
You’re in the state tournament, playing hockey in March when most other teams have been done for a month.
This is the ultimate post season. Many players will never step foot in the NHL, so this is the biggest stage they get to play on. Even though I didn’t have a team in the tourney, a couple buddies and I skipped school senior year to hang out at the rink all day.
That’s the beauty of state tournaments, your parents aren’t the only fans.
The Xcel Energy center would get insanely loud when the entire student section would chant something. Literally, entire schools would be sitting in the student section. There were the perennial teams from Warroad and Roseau that would make appearances. These cities are six hours away and the entire city would shut down to make the hall. That is how important this tournament is.
When Polson volleyball made it to state, I was pretty excited because I get to go as a reporter. Something I’ve never done before. If I couldn’t go as an athlete, I figure going for my job has to be a good compromise.
The only downside is the four-hour car ride. By myself.
So that will make for an interesting adventure.
Check in next week’s paper for more on the Pirates title hunt.