Scottie Girls On Hot Streak

Most of the season has been a roller coaster of performance and emotion for the Scottie volleyball team. But this past week was much less rocky

“It was a smooth weekend,” said Head Coach Lori Dailey, who saw her team win three conference matches in a row starting with a win over Malta on Sept. 29 and ending in two sweeps of Poplar and Harlem on Friday and Saturday.

In fact, all three matches went the minimum three games. It’s the best run of the Scottie girls’ season so far. And they hope to continue that play into their final weekend of conference games.

“This is probably our toughest weekend of the season coming up,” said Dailey. 

They are facing the top team in the District 2B standings, Plentywood, and another strong opponent and hated rival, Malta. They travel to Malta to take on the M’Ettes on Friday and then host the Wildcats on Saturday. 

“This weekend will go a ways towards determining the seeding for the district tournament,” said Dailey.

Plentywood is probably a lock to stay atop the standings and take the top seed for the tournament. But Malta and Glasgow are close enough that a win could make a big difference for the Scottie girls heading into the tournament. 

Wolf Point is also grouped with Glasgow and Malta behind Plentywood in the standings. Wolf Point matches up with Plentywood on Friday.

“We just need to maintain this level of confidence, aggressiveness and desire to win,” said Dailey.

The win over Malta, during homecoming weekend, was perhaps the height of the girls’ level of play. They dominated every aspect of the match for the first time all season and continued that into their matches against Poplar and Harlem. They continued to play as a unit and stayed aggressive even in spite of Dailey moving the girls around in the two matches. In the six games played during the two matches, five different lineups were used. 

“We were testing the flexibility and ability of the girls to think on the fly as they got thrown into a different situation and I thought they did a real nice job,” said Dailey. 

While the lineups used, such as switching middle-blocker Alaina Cole to the outside and using Megan Dailey on the inside, are not likely to be used again, it does help coach Dailey establish their depth. According to coach Dailey, an unexpected benefit may have been the insight the girls gained for what responsibilities their teammates assume. 

The girls rose to the occasion and overcame the disadvantages placed on them based on their new positions. Megan Dailey led the team in kills and tied for the lead in digs against Poplar and then led the team in digs and aces in the game against Harlem. The versatility in Dailey’s game was a product of the various situations she was placed in.

As they move towards the end of the season, coach Dailey hopes that versatility helps the team progress. And with two big conference matchups looming, and a non-conference matchup with Glendive on Tuesday, Oct. 16, that progression will be on display quickly.