Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884

SHS Lady Bulldogs take second at State

It was a weekend for the books as the Lady Bulldogs made their third straight appearance at the class 2A state volleyball tournament this past weekend. The Bulldogs went in as the number two seed from the east and faced the Big Piney Punchers, the number three seed from the west, on Thursday night. 

The Punchers gave the Lady Bulldogs no trouble as Sundance swept them in three games in the opening round. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was senior Cana McInerney, setting up 25 assists to the front row for fellow teammates Ty Holloman and Lexie Marchant to throw down with 10 and 6 kills respectively in the match. 

The second round for the Bulldogs put them up against a difficult team from the west, the number one seeded and number one ranked the Riverside Rebels. Fortunately for the Bulldogs the Rebels were unable to live up to their hype as the dominating Bulldog hitters rained down kills from Holloman and Marchant. The Punchers fell four games to one to the Lady Bulldogs. 

The win against the Rebels put the Bulldogs back into the championship round for the third time in three years. Looking for a three-peat championship, the Bulldogs first had to defeat their longtime rival for the season, the Big Horn Rams.

The Bulldogs and Rams had met three times prior to this match up. Each time, the Bulldogs added to their knowledge of the opponent, but continued to be just out of reach of defeating the Rams.

The start of the championship match began just as the other meetings had, with the Rams taking the first game victory. A slight shift in the momentum throughout game two brought the Bulldogs within striking distance, but short again.

Going into game three it was do or die for the Bulldogs as they needed a win in order to push the Rams into five and hope for another title. With a combined effort the Lady Bulldogs rallied together to stun the Rams throughout the next two games.

Senior Ella Bifulco led the way for the Bulldogs, serving a total of 32 serves throughout the afternoon, while Holloman threw down 13 kills, allowing the Bulldogs to take 25-15 and 25-12 victories in games three and four.

The crowd at the state tournament was getting their money's worth as these two teams were heading into game five for the class 2A state championship. It seemed as though all the momentum was pointing towards the Bulldogs as game five began.

It was a back-and-forth for each side as the Rams heavy hitters continued to attack the Bulldogs front line but the Bulldogs were able to maintain their composure and stay close. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs the fifth set was only played to 15 and they fell short when the Rams took the 15-11 win and state title.

The Sundance Lady Bulldogs, however, had nothing to hang their heads at. They battled back and finished their season with a18-12-1 overall record, 5-3 conference record, a second-place finish in the regional tournament and a class 2A state runner up trophy.

"I am so proud of the performance that Sundance volleyball gave over the weekend," Bulldog head coach Chelsey Blasczyk stated.

"I knew the state tournament would be tough and we went in knowing that to get to the championship we would have to scrap, fight, and leave it all on the floor. Getting past Riverside was an amazing achievement. We were so close to locking in a third state championship but I am very pleased with 2nd place because this team truly pulled together and fought so hard to finish this season on a high note."

Stats:

Sundance vs. Big Piney: 25-13, 25-15, 25-20

Ella Bifulco – 4 aces

Ty Holloman – 6 digs, 10 kills, 1 block

Briska Johnson – 8 digs

Cana McInerney – 4 aces, 5 digs, 4 kills, 25 assists

Zoe Skeens – 1 ace, 8 digs, 6 kills

Lexie Marchant – 6 kills, 1 block, 1 dig

Bailey Hofland – 1 kill

Brook Hofland – 3 kills

Rachelle Miller – 2 aces

McKaya Gillespie 1 kill, 1 assist

Sundance vs. Riverside: 25-21, 30-28, 20-25, 25-16

Ella Bifulco – 1 ace, 4 digs

Ty Holloman – 9 digs, 17 kills, 4 blocks

Briska Johnson – 2 aces, 14 digs

Cana McInerney – 1 ace, 2 digs, 3 kills, 38 assists, 3 blocks

Mazelynn Sharp – 1 ace, 1 dig

Zoe Skeens – 14 digs, 3 kills

Lexie Marchant – 14 kills, 2 blocks, 2 digs

Brook Hofland – 7 kills, 4 digs

Sundance vs. Big Horn: 22-25, 23-25, 25-15, 25-12, 11-15

Ella Bifulco – 1 ace (32 serves total!), 7 digs

Ty Holloman – 2 aces, 4 digs, 13 kills, 5 blocks

Briska Johnson – 19 digs

Cana McInerney – 8 digs, 2 kills, 33 assists, 3 blocks

Mazelynn Sharp – 2 digs

Zoe Skeens – 17 digs, 8 kills

Lexie Marchant – 6 kills, 3 blocks 

Brook Hofland – 7 kills, 3 digs

Bailey Hofland – 1 block

McKaya Gillespie – 2 kills

Volleyball team meet and greet next week

A meet and greet will be held for the Sundance Lady Bulldog volleyball team Thurs., Nov. 18 at the Central Office Gym from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Please come help celebrate our 2021 Wyoming state volleyball runner-up championship team. Cake and refreshments will be served.

 
 
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