Lady Bulldogs take on Big Horn Invite

This past weekend, the Sundance Bulldog volleyball team traveled to Big Horn to compete in the Big Horn Invite. There were 13 2A teams participating in the invite and the Bulldogs got to see how they would stack up against their competition from the west side of the state.

“During the weekend we played most of the 2A teams from the West side of the state. We had a loss against Kemmerer which was very close and it could have gone either way,” head coach Chelsey Blasczyk stated.

“The most challenging team we faced was Thermopolis. They just dropped down from 3A and will definitely be a contender at state. We, along with the other teams from the East, showed dominance against the West, proving that getting out of regionals is going to be our biggest challenge this season.”

On Friday, the Bulldogs were up against Greybull, Wind River, Rocky Mountain and Big Piney. Each team from the west managed to push the Bulldogs, as they all broke into the 20s, threatening to steal a set. However, the Sundance team remained composed under pressure and reached 25 before their competition. 

Saturday, the Bulldog team was up against Kemmerer, where Bulldogs narrowly took the first set, 25-23. The Kemmerer Rangers, however, fought back, taking set number two with a score of 26-25, forcing the decisive third set, where it was the first to 15 wins.

Both teams were point-for-point throughout the set, and it was the Rangers, unfortunately, who took the 15-13 win. The Bulldogs did not let the loss deter their spirit as they faced Thermopolis and Shoshoni shortly thereafter, taking wins over both teams. 

Over the course of the weekend, it was senior Hailey Karol who dominated the net for the Bulldogs with 39 kills and 10 blocks. Teammates Annika Haugen, Halyn Cooney and Jaylin Mills were not far behind adding 27, 25, and 22 kills respectively. 

The Bulldogs will take a break from tournament play this week as they travel to Upton to face the Bobcats on Tuesday and host the Tongue River Eagles, on Friday, for their homecoming matchup. The team will end their week on the road, facing the Wright Panthers on Saturday afternoon. 

Scores

SHS vs Greybull: 25-13, 25-22

SHS vs Wind River: 25-10, 25-11

SHS vs Rocky Mountain: 25-16, 25-20

SHS vs Big Piney: 25-13, 25-20

SHS vs Kemmerer: 25-23, 25-26, 13-15

SHS vs Thermopolis: 25-16, 25-15

SHS vs Shoshoni: 25-15, 25-15

Stats

Annika Haugen: 27 kills, 2 blocks, 12 aces, 38 digs, 60 assists

Jaylin Mills: 22 kills, 2 aces, 16 digs, 24 assists

Hailey Karol: 39 kills, 10 blocks, 5 aces

Phoebe Skeens: 6 kills, 4 blocks, 8 aces, 15 digs

Halyn Cooney: 25 kills, 9 blocks

Blakely Gill: 4 aces, 72 digs

Karly Marchant: 8 aces, 27 digs

Arianna Neiman: 8 kills 7 blocks 15 assists

Jude Crago: 2 kills. 4 aces 11 digs