Polson volleyball wins NWA Championship

Coming off the bench, Jessica Hoel provided the spark that Polson needed and showcased just what kind of depth the Lady Pirates have going into the state tournament next weekend in Bozeman. Hoel had 12 kills and senior Ashley Johnson had 13 to power Polson to a 3-1 victory over Whitefish for the NWA Divisional championship.

It will be the fourth straight time that the Lady Pirates are headed to the state tournament after they clinched their postseason berth with a win over the Bulldogs last night.

In the championship match, Polson won the first game 25-18 but the Lady Bulldogs would even things up with a second set 23-25 victory. The Lady Pirates then went on to win the next two matches 25-17 and 25-23 for the NWA title.

While Johnson and Hoel provided the firepower, Shalaina Duford was all over the court with 41 assists, four aces and 22 digs. At the net, Kenzie Clay dominated with four blocks, and Mackenzie Banner was unflappable with 31 digs.

Check out this week's Leader on Thursday for the full story on Polson's championship!

Northwestern A Divisional Championship
Polson def. Whitefish 25-18, 23-25, 25-17, 25-23
Kills — Whitefish 44 (Abby Strellanuer 17, Emily Sullivan 15), Polson 57 (Ashley Johnson 13, Jessica Hoel 12); Assists — Whitefish 42 (Taylor Havens 39), Polson 45 (Shalaina Duford 41); Blocks — Whitefish 3 (Havens 1, Baylee Tveidt 1, Sullivan 1), Polson 9 (Kenzie Clay 4); Digs — Whitefish 47 (Ryan Chauner 8, Kelsey McFadden 7), Polson 99 (Mackenzie Banner 31, Duford 22); Aces — Whitefish 7 (Tveidt 4, Shelia Murphy 2), Polson 9 (Duford 4, Johnson 2, Heidi Rausch 2).

Here are photos from the match... you can buy full prints from the Leader here.

Click on "Read More" to see the full gallery.