By Brandon Walker EBS EDITORIAL
Lady
Big Horns raise awareness while topping Wolverines
BIG SKY – The atmosphere inside the Bough-Dolan athletic
complex on Oct. 15 was electric as the Lone Peak High School girls volleyball
team took on the West Yellowstone Wolverines, but this wasn’t just any match.
Aside from the cross-town rivalry between the Big Horns and Wolverines, it was
also “Spike for the Cure” night as the schools raised money and awareness for
breast cancer treatment and screenings. Both teams and the crowd were exuberant
the entire match as it seemed clear that everyone understood the night was
about more than just volleyball.
LPHS Head Coach Missy Botha described the sentiment of the
evening. “Every year the girls wear pink, they wear high-heels, and they make
it a special day. It was nice the girls were given roses and then they were
able to give those roses to their moms. It’s a nice way to acknowledge their
moms and bring awareness to breast cancer.”
On the court the Lady Big Horns defeated the Wolverines in
straight sets, 25-13, 25-18, and 25-16. Although missing junior outside hitter
Reilly Germain, the LPHS squad welcomed back seniors Dounia Metje and Madi
Rager. Metje was a force for the Lady Big Horns as she led them in three
statistical categories with nine kills, two blocks, and tied with junior Hannah
Dreisbach with five aces apiece. Rounding out the top performers for Lone Peak
were junior Chloe Hammond with 10 digs and junior Ivy Hicks with 16 assists.
“We had a good crowd. They were able to pump us up a little
bit. The rivalry between Lone Peak and West has always been there. It’s nice to
put them away in three and to do it handily. It’s always nice to beat your
rival,” Botha said.
LPHS had the advantage over the Wolverines from the start,
ending the first set with a 17-5 run. The Lady Big Horns then proceeded to go
on runs of seven, six, and four unanswered points to open up the final set.
West Yellowstone didn’t go quietly though. In the second set they were able to
fend off set point three times in a row before LPHS was able to put them away.
“It’s nice that they’re back at full strength. When you have
your core lineup out there it lends [itself] to having a nice game” said Botha.
“That was the main thing: go out there, hit away, have fun and be relentless.”
LPHS
volleyball soars past Falcons
TWIN BRIDGES – Neither Twin Bridges nor an early game time
could slow down the Lone Peak volleyball team on Oct. 18 as they defeated the
Falcons in straight sets.
Head Coach Missy Botha was impressed with her team’s
performance. “We were so in tune last night that it didn’t matter who we
played,” said Botha. “It was just one of those matches where it was so fun to
be a part of because everybody was just on fire.”
Game time was moved ahead from 6:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., but that
had no effect on the Lady Big Horns play. They won in straight sets, 25-10, 25-19, and 25-21. This was also the
first match in over a week that Lone Peak was at full strength. “It was nice to
have the starting lineup out there, and like I said, it was quite a statement.
The key to the match was our serving from literally every player,” Botha said.
Senior Dounia Metje and junior
Reilly Germain led the Lady Big Horns in serving, with five aces apiece. Junior
Hannah Dreisbach paced the team with 10 kills, while junior Ivy Hicks had 28
assists. Rounding out the individual leaders for the Lady Big Horns was junior
Chloe Hammond, with 10 digs.
Botha is excited about what her team is capable of as they
look ahead to the postseason. “All the fundamentals and boring drills that
we’ve been doing throughout the season, all the passing and serving, just
getting our form correct, is now starting to really click. It’s nice that
everyone’s coming together and playing the way they are,” Botha said.
Big
Horns edge out Wolves
THREE FORKS – The LPHS volleyball team was able to capture
another quality win, their third in a row, defeating the class-B Three Forks
Wolves in a back-and-forth five set match.
Entering the fourth set, trailing 1-2, LPHS was able to find
another gear as they fought back to capture two sets in a row and the victory.
Coach Botha noted the momentum change, “game four and five we just absolutely
dominated … these girls have a lot of heart. They just dug deep and decided
that they were going to finish it. It was so cool.” They won the fourth set
25-14 and the final set 15-10.
Now with a record of 10-4, the Lady Big Horns will play their
final match of the regular season on Oct. 25 at home against White Sulphur
Springs and the District Tournament is set to take place Oct. 31-Nov. 2.
“It was nice to be able to take that
kind of a win going into the final week and then into districts. That’s another
thing we can, sort of, take away from that match. [It’s] good prep for the
pressure of the postseason,” Botha said.
