Volleyball all-stars take the court

Teammates were now competitors, competitors now teammates as Mission High School hosted the 2023 volleyball all-star game. Twenty-three girls from eight schools (Mission, Arlee, Hot Springs, Polson, Two Eagle River, Plains, Charlo and Ronan) came together forming two teams, the Lights and the Darks. While a score was being kept, the real winners were the crowd watching intense volleys, near perfect set assists, and powerful spikes. But more importantly the crowd got to see laughs, mistakes, and sportsmanship. While it was the best of the best, games like this remind us there is more to sports than winning and losing, but making connections with who would be considered the enemy.

Two Hot Springs Lady Savage Heat were in attendance, senior Lauryn Aldridge and sophomore Kara Christensen. Now they were no longer teammates but facing each other through the net. Christensen proved to be a powerhouse for the Light team, digging up her fair share of spikes from Aldridge. While Aldridge showed she was a force to be reckoned with at the net blocking several high-powered spikes from the Light team.

Three Plains senior Trotters were also all-stars. Marissa Young teamed up with Aldridge on the Dark team, serving down aces and hammering down spikes, while Blakely Lakko held her own at the net for the Light team. Jaelyn Carr dug up an assortment of hits for the Light team.

All of the proceeds from the Monday night game went to the local food bank, making the fun competition a great community event as well.