Volleyball: Bulldogs set season paces
Author: Eliza McLaughlin, MT43 News Correspondent
Volleyball: Bulldogs set season paces
Eliza McLaughlin
MT43 News Correspondent
The Lady Bulldog volleyball team traveled to Boulder on Sept. 7 to take on the Jefferson Panthers for the first time this season. Both teams were eager to show their prowess and set a tone for the rest of the season and this match was one for the history books.
Both teams had stands packed with their supporters and dueling student sections helping build the excitement.
The Lady Bulldogs claimed the first set 25-19, but Jefferson responded with a 25-19 win of their own in the second. The Panthers followed their second set win up with another, 25-16.
The rivalry showed its true colors in the fourth, with neither team letting the other get much ahead of the other. In the end, Townsend took the set 26-24 to tie the match. The fifth wouldn’t be any further apart with the Lady Bulldogs taking the win 15-13.
Reese Wolfgram led in kills with 14, followed by Aspen Slyker with 12.
Emily Bird earned 50 assists and 23 digs. She was only out-defended by teammates Holly Newman with 24 digs and Luci Horne with 29. Horne also led the team in aces with three throughout the match.
Bird, Newman and Kaitlyn Noyes tied for defense at the net with two kill blocks each.
The Lady Bulldogs carried their momentum into their match on Sept. 9 against the Lone Peak Big Horns. The match ended in three sets, all in the Lady Bulldog’s favor: 25-13, 25-16 and 25-9.
Wolfgram again led in kills this time tied with Slyker, each having eight throughout the match. Horne upped her serving attacks to earn five aces. Bird totaled 28 assists and led the team with two blocks. Haven Vandenacre held up the defensive end with 13 digs.
Sept. 14, the Lady Bulldogs will welcome the Three Forks Wolves into the Dog House for another district face-off. The game starts at 7:15 p.m., according to the Bulldogs’ schedule.
Cross Country
Running in Bozeman, the Bulldog cross-country teams set new records for each of the runners.
Junior Nolan Flynn finished in 90th amongst runners from all classes, with a time of 17:49.67. Flynn shaved nearly two minutes off his previous season times and beat last season’s record by four seconds.
Senior Connor Lamb was next in 183rd in 19:37.69. Lamb’s new record is 30 seconds faster than last season’s.
For the Lady Bulldogs, freshman Kyla Meissner finished in 20:40.97 and earned herself a 35th-place finish in 20:41.0. Meissner's new record is approximately 30 seconds faster than her previous season record set at the Jefferson Season Opener.
Junior Kaelyn Sangray finished in 92nd with a time of 21:53.41, setting herself a new season record more than a minute faster than her previous times.
Junior Abigail Wickens ran the course in 24:11.03 to finish in 170th, also setting a season record. Wickens hit her current personal record as a sophomore at the Mountain West Classic, finishing just under two minutes faster than her current time.
With new records in the books, and still plenty of potential for growth, Bulldog Cross Country looks set for a successful season for each runner.
The teams were scheduled to participate in the Butte High Invitational on Sept. 15, after MT43News press deadline. Check back next week for the results.
