Hawks repeat as champions

The Thompson Falls volleyball team is headed to the state tournament for the third year in a row. The Blue Hawks repeated as divisional champions last weekend, but it wasn't easy getting to the top of the podium. The Hawks had to fight back and beat conference rival Bigfork twice to take the top seed heading into this week's state tournament.

"They knew what they had to do to get to state," Coach Sandra Kazmierczak said, "and they got it done. It was a great team effort. Every player had to step up and do their part."

The Hawks opened the divisional tournament against Florence last Thursday in front of the Falcons' home crowd at Florence-Carlton High School. The Hawks made easy work of their first opponent, winning in three straight sets, 25-18, 25-22, 25-19. The Hawk seniors were on fire against Florence, as Avery Burgess led with 18 set assists and 14 kills, Ellie Baxter had two kills, Cheyla Irvine served up four aces, and Natalie Roberts led with eight digs and four aces.

Next up for Thompson Falls was an intense match with the Copperheads. The Hawks and Copperheads went five sets, with Thompson Falls coming out on top and earning a spot in Friday's semifinal match. Thompson Falls won the first two sets against Anaconda 25-21, 25-15. The Copperheads were gaining on the Hawks as the second set they stayed with Thompson until the Hawks pulled away 17-9 before sealing the victory. In the third set, the Copperheads took an early lead and the Hawks struggled to recover as Anaconda won 25-19. Anaconda led for much of the fourth set as well before winning 25-18. In the final set, the Hawks were fired up and took an early 6-2 lead. Anaconda would attempt to make a comeback but the Hawks held their lead and finished the win 15-13.

The win over Anaconda, as well as Bigfork beating Arlee and Deer Lodge on the first day of the tournament, set the District 7B teams up for an epic rematch in Florence Friday morning. The Hawks were the only team to beat Bigfork thus far in the season, getting a win at the district tournament in Thompson Falls the week before, and they were looking to do it once again at divisional. The Valkyries, however, showed why they were district champions. The teams were perfect matches for the semifinal match as they were tied several times throughout the first two sets. Neither team had a lead of more than two points until in the first set Bigfork pulled away 17-13 and ended up winning 25-21, following that with a 25-13 win in the second set. Thompson Falls led the entire third set, earning a 25-16 win, before Bigfork came back strong in the fourth to seal the win and earn a spot in the divisional championship game.

Thompson Falls moved to the bottom of the bracket to fight their way back. It would be a long day as they entered the third day of the tournament on Saturday, but their determination was strong. The Hawks had a rematch with Anaconda for the first match Saturday, beating the Copperheads in four sets, 25-18, 21-25, 25-19, 25-23. That put the Hawks back in familiar territory as they faced off against Bigfork in the championship battle. It also guaranteed Thompson Falls a trip to the state tournament.

It was a familiar setting for the Hawks, who had to play Bigfork three times in the district tournament the week before. This time, though, the ending would be different.

Thompson Falls had renewed energy in the championship match as they went head to head with the Valkyries, winning in five sets, 25-16, 17-25, 21-25, 25-14, 15-12. The teamwork and determination the Hawks displayed showed why they are worthy of a seat at the state tournament. As the divisional tournament was a true double elimination setup and both Bigfork and Thompson Falls had defeated each other once in the tournament, the teams would play one more time to determine the division champion.

"This group is so resilient," Kazmierczak said. "They played so many sets in a row and still kept up their energy. I'm really proud of their performance."

The final matchup was an epic win for the Blue Hawks, who dominated the Valkyries in three sets, 25-21, 25-21, 25-15. The Hawks looked like beating Bigfork was something they did every day and not a challenge throughout the season. The team had just beat Bigfork in five sets and kept the momentum going to earn their second straight divisional title.

The state tournament is being held on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman. The Hawks will open the tournament Thursday at 10 a.m. against Broadwater County. Kazmierczak noted that the Hawks played the Bulldogs at the Choteau tournament in the beginning of the season, and they also opened the state tournament last year against Broadwater. "We want to keep this energy going," Coach Kaz said. "We will focus on defense this week and prepare for the way Townsend hits." The tournament can be watched on NFHS Network.