The Bulldogs came into today’s match recovering from the sting of last night’s match where they fell in 4 sets to Flathead 28-26, 23-25, 25-22 and 25-15.

Today’s matchup started an hour late due to a competitive JV game that went to 5 sets, with the Bulldog JV team pulling out the win. In front of a good home crowd, the varsity teams took the floor. Glacier put a very young team on the court. In fact, defensive specialist Madisyn Frazier is the sole senior. However, the Wolf Pack made it clear their younger girls packed serious heat.

First Set

Glacier’s tough front row attack immediately put Butte High on their heels. Glacier took an early 6 point lead (2-8) in the first set. It was pretty evident that Glacier’s hard-hitting net game was going to cause problems for the ‘Dogs. The Butte High girls answered back by setting up double and triple blocks at the net. Unfortunately, the constant attack made it tough for sophomore setter Jaycee Cleveland to get her offense off the ground.

After a few points, things started clicking for the Bulldogs.  Cleveland pulled her team back together after a quick time out. Her ball placement skills, both at the service line and at the net, led the team back to a 15-15 tie. The Bulldog hitters went into action, putting down some big hits at just the right time. Butte took their first lead of the game at 19-18.  They stayed right with the Wolf Pack to tie 22-22 with a few awesome volleys. However, five errors in a row by the ‘Dogs gave Glacier the first set, 22-25.

Second Set

The second set started out slow for the Bulldogs. The big Glacier offense, led by Juniors Sarah Downs (Middle Hitter) and Madeline Davis (Outside Hitter) took advantage with some serious kill shots. Glacier’s Wolf Pack went on an 8 point run for a 8-1 lead before the Bulldogs got a chance to answer. The Bulldogs were plagued by hitting and serving errors, while Glacier continued to keep the gap at 10+ points throughout the set.  Butte couldn’t swing the momentum and lost the second set 11-25.

Third Set

The first five points in the third went to Glacier.  Senior Laura Rosenleaf gets serious props for sparking the Butte offense with some crushing hits from the back row. She also added in an ace from the service line to boost morale. Rosenleaf and Junior Maddie Luedtke put down some well-placed kill shots to keep pace with Glacier’s scoring. During the 3rd set, Rosenleaf slammed 3 kills and a ton of blocks, both solo and double. Luedtke joined the attack and hammered  3 kills, while partnering on big blocks against Glacier’s hitters.

Seniors Averie Olsen (Middle Hitter) and Ashlyn Burns (offside hitter) also put in huge effort on the offensive side.  The Bulldog defense played a tough game.  Senior Camille Kautzman and Junior Mackenzie Hansen put up a strong defense in the back row. The girls showed a lot of Butte grit; pulling out digs just when their team needed it most.

The Bulldogs stayed with Glacier, competing neck and neck throughout the set. Glacier gained a 3 point lead; prompting a Butte time out with the score 13-16. The Glacier hitters came out of huddle determined to win. Sarah Downs and Ella Halliburton went on a 5 kill spree that left the Bulldogs struggling to regroup. Glacier finished 25-20 with a 3 set sweep.

Full stats not available.

The Butte High Girls take the court again on Thursday at Missoula Big Sky.