Huskies still undefeated
An older and stronger Husky volleyball team defeated Reed Point-Rapelje in three sets for homecoming on Sept. 17 in Absarokee, 25-15, 25-11, 25-21.
The Huskies, with five seniors on the floor, faced a Renegade team that included four freshmen, three sophomores, one junior and two seniors. The closer score in the last set showed the perseverance of the visiting Renegades.
Sophomore Emma LaMoure served nine of Absarokee’s aces. Senior Maisey Sheppard had four. Senior Makayla Peterson had 25 of the Huskies’ digs, with junior Erin Campbell right behind at 22.
Senior Emma Chandler posted 11 kills and 15 assists. Senior Colleen Culbertson had 10 kills and 11 assists.
For the Renegades, Britain Baxter had three aces, and Jocelyn Ott had two. No other numbers were reported.
“It’s still very early in the season, and we all know we have things to work on before tournament time,” Husky head coach Tonya Steffenson said before the team headed to the Huntley Project Coaches Classic on Sept. 19. “It’s about taking care of the small things and capitalizing on the other.”
Absarokee took the Silver Bracket crown in Huntley, defeating Harlowton and Columbus (see separate story).
The Huskies traveled to Custer on Sept. 22 for a tough conference match against the Custer/Hysham Rebels. Absarokee won the match in five sets, 22-25, 25-18, 25-12, 17-25, 15-6.
The Rebels narrowly won the first set, but the Huskies roared back, decisively winning the next two sets. The tide turned in the fourth set, with the Rebels winning by eight points, but once again the Huskies came back, more than doubling the Rebel points in the final set.
Absarokee and Custer/Hysham were close in kills and assists, but the Huskies dominated the Rebels in aces by 17-9, blocks by 6-2 and digs by a whopping 111-50. Sheppard had 19 kills and five aces, Chandler had 17 kills, five aces and four blocks, and Culbertson had two blocks.
The Huskies are now 5-0 in conference. They take on the Fromberg Falcons (1-4 in conference) at home on Thursday, Sept. 24, followed by a trip to Pryor to face the Plenty Coups Warriors on Saturday, Sept. 26.
From gazprepsports
Absarokee def. Reed Point-Rapelje
25-15, 25-11, 25-21
Reed Point-Rapelje: Aces 9 (Britain Baxter 3). Digs (not reported). Kills (not reported). Assists (not reported). Blocks (not reported).
Absarokee: Aces 15 (Emma LaMoure 9). Digs 87 (Makayla Peterson 25). Kills 34 (Emma Chandler 11). Blocks N/A. Assists: 33 (Emma Chandler 15).
Absarokee def. Custer-Hysham
22-25, 25-18, 25-12, 17-25, 15-6
Absarokee: Kills 34 (Maisey Sheppard 19, Emma Chandler 17), Assists 32 (Colleen Culbertson 15, Chandler 13), Aces 17 (Chandler 5, Sheppard 5), Digs 111 (Sheppard 25, Erin Campbell 22), Blocks 6 (Chandler 4, Culbertson 2).
Custer-Hysham: Kills 30 (Julia Ragland 10, Tori Cybulski 9), Assists 28 (Emily Prokop 23), Aces 9 (Ana Cybulski 3, Prokop 2), Digs 50 (Ragland 14, Tori Cybulski 13), Blocks 2 (A. Cybulski 1, Prokop 1).