Class C At Districts

The North Country Mavericks played in Saco against Savage on Oct. 29 in their playoff-style tournament. The scores of the sets were:

MAVS 25 21 25 25

Savage 13 25 19 22

Individual Stats:

Danika Soper - Aces 4, Kill 1, Assists 19, Digs 1

Kaitlyn. McColly - Aces 3, Kills 15, Assists 1, Digs 10

Jaydyn Erickson - Aces 2, Kills 13

Jaycee Erickson - Aces 1, Kills 4, Assists 12, Digs 3, Block 1

Kia Wasson - Aces 4, Kills 5, Digs 9

Mattea McColly - Kills 2

Zandora Longtree - 3 Aces, 4 digs

Paige Wasson - Assists 3 Block 1

Teagan Erickson - Kills 3 Blocks 2

Coach Charlene Wasson commented:

“This was the opening round game for us in our playoff-style 1C tournament. Due to Roosevelt County Health Department not allowing the 1C tournament to be held in Culbertson and Bainville we went with a playoff-style format where the higher seeded team hosted the lower-seeded team. We finished the regular season third which allowed us to host our first game in Saco against Savage.

“Jaydyn Erickson came out swinging and had one of the best weekends of her hitting career. We had good attacking from Kaitlyn McColly as well. Kia Wasson and Danika Soper served tough from the service line gaining four aces a piece. We looked a little sluggish to start with but picked up some momentum during a few of the sets but really didn’t get rolling like we can had some timing issues between serve receive passes and setters and hitters but we toughed through it and got the win.”

After securing the win, they took their momentum on the road in a match-up against Medicine Lake on Oct. 30. The scores of the sets were:

MAVS 25 25 18 14 9

M. Lake 19 20 25 25 15

Individual Stats:

Danika Soper - Aces 2, Kill 1, Assists 4, Digs 11

Kaitlyn McColly - Aces 4, Kills 9, Blocks 2, Digs 13

Jaydyn Erickson - Aces 2, Kills 9, Blocks 4, Digs 3

Jaycee Erickson - Aces 3, Kills 2, Assists 19, Blocks 2, Digs 5

Kia Wasson - Ace 1, Kills 9, Block 1, Digs 15

Mattea McColly - Blocks 2, Digs 1

Zandora Longtree - Digs 16

Paige Wasson - Assists 5

Teagan Erickson - Kills 4, Blocks 4

Kora LaBrie Digs- 3

Coach Charlene Wasson commented:

“We came out swinging and blocking the first two sets. We had excellent hitting across the board and our blocking was a definite advantage. We lost momentum in set three and never gained it back. Their points in the last three sets came from Ace serves. Our offense was scoring but not enough to catch us up in any of the sets. We really felt like we could pull this win off. We got on the bus and traveled back home three plus hours to sleep in our own beds and wake up Saturday to host the consolation match in Whitewater.”

And that’s exactly what the team did. Playing host to the Fairview Warriors at Whitewater for the Consolation Match the scores of the sets were:

North Country. 25 26 25

Fairview 21 24 19

Individual Stats:

Danika Soper - Aces 4, Assists 9, Digs 9

Kaitlyn McColly - Aces 3, Kills 4, Block 1, Digs 8

Jaydyn Erickson - Ace 1, Kills 11, Digs 2

Jaycee Erickson - Aces 2, Kills 2, Assists 11, Block 1, Digs 6

Kia Wasson - Kills 8, Digs 14

Mattea McColly - Kill 1

Zandora Longtree - Ace 1, Digs 10

Paige Wasson - 3 Assists, Blocks 2, Digs 2

Teagan Erickson - Dig 1

Coach Charlene Wasson commented:

“This match looked a little sluggish on both sides of the floor to begin. We had the first two serves on each team net serve. The gym was quiet and it was really kinda spooky being Halloween and all. With the playoff-style format, it truly didn’t feel like a district tournament. We held our composure and beat a very solid team in three sets, which was huge for us. Fairview is so scrappy they really do a good job of playing defense. I would say we had a solid night at the net nothing flashy but solid.

“We are looking forward to Divisionals in Sidney and Fairview this coming weekend. We play at 1 p.m. Thursday against Jordan (Garfield County High School) in Fairview. We need to bring it to the next level this week and tighten up our blocking, work on our timing between setters and hitters and really go into the tournament with confidence in all areas of our play. We will have to serve tough and pass the ball well. Anytime you advance to the next level of play your play must advance as well.”

The Nashua Porcupines played in a play-in game on Oct. 27 at Richey/Lambert. The scores of all three sets were:

Nashua 10 9 23

Richey/Lambert 25 25 25

Nashua achieved one kill by Tia Dees and one assist by Hadynn Adkins. The team also achieved six aces with Hannah Toavs and Alexis Murdock achieving two each in the game. Hannah Toavs achieved the team’s 10 digs while the team achieved four blocks, while Dees led the team with two.

The Lustre Lions also played a play-in game on Oct. 27 in Scobey. The scores of all three sets were:

Lustre 2 17 17

Scobey 25 25 25

The Lions achieved 12 kills with Tiara Whitmus achieving five. Whitmus also led the team in digs, achieving 15 of the team’s 44. Alexa Reddig achieved six of team’s seven blocks, while Grace Brown achieved three of the team’s five aces. Aubri Holzrichter led the team in assists with five of the team’s seven.

Coach Madison Neufeld commented:

“We came into the first game very pumped up and maybe a little too excited. It took a little while to settle down and reel-in our excitement and just play with energy. The second and third game against Scobey, these girls came out ready to play. They did so many little things that we’ve been working on all season and executed them nicely. They were a strong serving team and we managed to serve receive very well. The girls also controlled their serves, which has been a battle for us in some games. We only missed three serves overall as a team so that was impressive!

“It was a hard loss for our team, especially our two seniors. It’s always hard ending a season but there are a few silver linings to this season that I hope to emphasize to these girls and our community. Despite the record we had, these girls grew as players in skill during this season. Every girl had improvements in more than one area and it’s exciting knowing that as a young team they can continue building on their strengths over these next few years. Second, we built a foundation, and these girls are so excited for the program we are building in Lustre. Lastly, we were fortunate enough to have a full season. With so many unknowns with COVID we were able to play all but one game on our schedule. We were also blessed with health and that’s something our coaching staff was so thankful for.

“The Lady Lions had a trying year, but every trial is an opportunity for growth and learning and sometimes we just have to keep our heads up.”