Lady Hawks are on a roll

The Thompson Falls Blue Hawks volleyball team continued their winning streak by racking up two more victories this past week. Coach Sandra Kazmierczak's team moved to 8-2 on the season and 5-0 in conference play. Since getting off to a rocky 1-2 start, the Blue Hawks have now won seven games in a row and are firing on all cylinders.

Tuesday night's home matchup vs Troy was a matchup of "David vs Goliath" as Thompson Falls cruised to victory in three sets: 25-9, 25-15, 25-10. In volleyball especially, height plays a huge advantage. Troy was fighting an uphill battle in that department Tuesday as their players' average height was a full four inches shorter than the Thompson Falls players (5-foot-4 verus the Hawks' 5-foot-8). While Troy was able to keep it close in the early stages of each set, Thompson Falls was eventually able to overpower the Trojans through a barrage of kills from their taller, more experienced front line.

The first set started somewhat slowly for Thompson Falls until junior Cheyla Irvine got the opportunity to serve. Through some well-placed aces from Irvine and thunderous kills from seniors Abbi Lane and Ellison Pardee, the Blue Hawks were able to go on a 8-0 run and win the first set comfortably 25-9.

The second set was nearly identical to the first. With the score tied 9-9 the Blue Hawks once again pulled away, this time with a dominant 10-0 run. The run was highlighted by more booming kills from Thompson Falls, this time from Danni VanHuss and Avery Burgess, who led Thompson Falls with eight kills on the night. Assisting on the kills was junior Ellie Baxter, who accounted for all 19 of the Thompson Falls assists on the night.

With Baxter serving, Thompson Falls opened the third set on a 13-1 run. The Blue Hawks were able to hold off a late Troy push and won the set 25-10 to seal the victory.

The Blue Hawks ran into a much stiffer challenge Saturday as they headed to Bigfork to take on the Valkyries. Both teams came into the game undefeated in conference play and riding long winning streaks. The stage was set for two teams aspiring to win the conference and the matchup lived up to the hype. Bigfork opened the game by taking the first set 25-22 in an intense scoring battle that set the tone for the rest of the game. Thompson Falls was able to rebound in the next two sets and won both (25-16, 25-22) to take a 2-1 set lead.

Bigfork wasn't going to go down easily, however, winning the fourth set 25-19 and swinging the momentum back in their favor. The fifth and deciding set was all Thompson Falls as the Blue Hawks dominated Bigfork 15-3 to win the game 3-2.

In the victory, Thompson Falls was powered by standout performances from senior Pardee, who led the team with 20 assists and nine digs, and junior Burgess, who dominated around the net with a team-leading 13 kills and four blocks.

It was yet another huge victory for a Thompson Falls volleyball program that has been built on consistency and continuity over the years. With only two head coaches in the history of the program and current head coach Sandra Kazmierczak in her 32nd year with the school (13 assisting, 19 as head coach), Thompson Falls has developed a reputation for sustained volleyball excellence. Aside from consistent leadership, what makes the Thompson Falls volleyball program special? Coach Kazmierczak pointed to players entering the school's volleyball program at a young age through the use of summer camps. "We teach the girls from a young age how to run our system as well as how to play all of the positions on the court." This sort of cross training proved to be effective against Troy as senior Scarlette Schwindt wasn't able to play. It was "next man up" however for the Blue Hawks as the Thompson Falls volleyball machine chugged toward another victory.

Assistant coach Karli Thomas (who played at Thompson Falls for Coach Kazmierczak) credits the success of the program to an overall mindset that each player shares. "The girls come into the program with a clear expectation to win."

The Blue Hawks played host to the Plains Trotters for their Homecoming matchup Tuesday. Results of that match were not available by press time. Thompson Falls travels to Eureka Saturday for a rematch with the Lady Lions.