Big Horn girls defeat Whitehall in five-set match
By Jen Clancey STAFF WRITER
After three game points in the fourth set threatened Lone Peak High School volleyball’s chance at homecoming victory, the Big Horns came out on the other side triumphant.
The girls volleyball team hosted the Whitehall High School Trojans on Saturday afternoon in the LPHS gymnasium. Playing into the fifth game tied 2-2, the Big Horns earned the win—just three nail-biting points ahead of the Trojans.
“They’ve worked so hard. They’ve dedicated all they can to the sport. And it paid off,” said Lone Peak head coach Ashley Muckway. Throughout the season, Muckway has emphasized a 100% mentality, urging players to leave everything they can on the court. She said she saw that energy at Saturday’s game.
“They gave everything they had, every point.”
The Big Horns had a clean win in the first set, 25-18, followed by a 27-25 loss demanding tenacity each point. In set three, the Trojans targeted gaps between players, winning the set with a pointed kill by Whitehall junior Julia Hoagland in the center of the court. The set ended in a 25-13 loss for the Big Horns, including an injury that required senior captain Addy Malinowski to rest, and return about 10 points later.
An overuse injury also plagued senior captain Claire Hoadley, who continued to play and bring her team key kills as the match went on.
The coaches highlighted the 26-24 fourth match as a shift in focus for the Big Horns. Junior Stella Haas was an example on Saturday as the coaches saw her locked into the game.
“She went in there and I don’t think she could hear the crowd. I don’t think she could hear us. Nothing, just tunnel vision: serves in, serves in, serves in,” said assistant coach Steven Reid. Haas delivered six consistent serves in a row to keep her team in play, which coaches saw as a huge boost to the team in a tough set.
Muckway noted that junior Lily Turner had a great game making key strategic decisions as a setter. “She was making decisions about who’s gonna hit, when to tip, and she just really led the team to that win,” Muckway said.
In the fifth and final set—a race to 15 points—the Big Horns executed. The homecoming crowd waited anxiously as the girls hit points 12 and 13. The Big Horns made each point count until the scoreboard showed 15-12 in their favor, to which the home section erupted into cheers.
The volleyball win rounded out a week of victories for Big Sky homecoming, and added another success to celebrate at the homecoming dance a few hours after the game.
