Lady Bulldogs head on to state

The Sundance Lady Bulldogs punched their ticket to the 2A State Volleyball Tournament with their two wins this past weekend at the 2A Regional Volleyball Tournament in Pine Bluffs.

Opening regional play on Thursday last week, the Bulldogs faced the Wright Panthers. Taking the Panthers in three straight sets, the Bulldogs advanced to the next round to face the hard hitters of Big Horn.

The second game put the Bulldogs to the test and, despite their best efforts, they fell in three sets to the Big Horn Rams. Although the match ended in a loss, it marked a significant milestone for Annika Haugen, who achieved an impressive 1000 career assists. 

Up next for the Bulldogs was the familiar foe, the Moorcroft Wolves. A win over the Wolves would secure a trip to state for the Bulldogs.

The Sundance team opened the matchup with a dominating 25-8 victory. The Wolves fought back in the second set, but fell short 25-20. The Bulldogs didn’t mess around in the third set as they took another victory, 25-11.

Key performances included Haugen with 29 assists and 11 digs, Blakely Gill anchoring the back row with a commanding 30 digs, and Jaylin Mills and Hailey Karol adding to the momentum at the net with 17 and 10 kills, respectively. 

With their ticket to state punched, the Bulldogs had to face one last team, the Pine Bluffs Hornets. This game determined whether the Bulldogs would go into state as the third or fourth seed from the east.

This final matchup was the most intense for the Bulldogs as the teams battled through five close sets to determine the seeding. The Sundance team took the opening two sets, but the Hornets fought their way back, taking the overall 3-2 victory.

Haugen once again helped to set the team in motion with 37 assists for the game, Karol and Mills dominated at the net throwing down a combined 50 kills, while Gill helped on the defensive end with 37 digs for the night. 

The Sundance Bulldogs will play in the 2A State Volleyball Tournament in Casper this weekend. Going in as the number four seed, pits the Bulldogs against the number one seed from the west, Rocky Mountain.

Looking ahead to the state tournament, head coach Chelsey Blasczyk stated, “Headed into state we feel confident in our growth throughout the season. We have beat Rocky twice and I do believe we can do it again. After that it will just be a battle among teams from our side of the state!” The Bulldogs will play on Thursday, November 7 at 1 p.m.

Stats

Sundance 3, Wright 0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-20):

Annika Haugen 2 kills, 22 assists, 2 aces, 14 digs

Jaylin Mills 17 kills, 3 assists, 2 aces, 14 digs

Hailey Karol 12 kills, 3 blocks, 1 dig

Phoebe Skeens 3 kills, 6 digs

Halyn Cooney 1 kill, 1 block

Arianna Neiman 2 assists, 1 block, 2 digs

Annie Harmon 1 dig, 2 blocks

Karly Marchant 2 aces, 7 digs 

Blakely Gill 2 aces, 15 digs

Sundance 0, Big Horn 3 (18-25, 16-25, 11-25):

Annika 6 digs, 1 kill, 10 assists (1000 career assists during this game)

Hailey Karol 2 digs, 8 kills

Blakely Gill 3 aces, 19 digs 

Karly Marchant 2 aces, 3 digs

Jaylin Mills 1 ace, 9 digs, 7 kills, 2 assists, 1 block

Annie Harmon 2 digs

Phoebe Skeens 3 kills, 2 digs

Kellie Phillips 2 digs

Halyn Cooney 1 block

Sundance 3, Moorcroft 0 (25-8, 25-20, 25-11):

Annika Haugen 11 digs, 2 kills, 29 assists

Hailey Karol 2 aces, 3 digs, 10 kills, 1 block

Blakely Gill 1 ace, 30 digs

Karly Marchant 2 aces, 1 dig 

Jaylin Mills 7 aces, 7 digs, 17 kills, 4 assists, 2 blocks

Annie Harmon 1 dig

Phoebe Skeens 4 kills, 1 block, 3 digs

Kellie Phillips 2 digs

Arianna Neiman 2 kills, 1 block

Halyn Cooney 3 kills 

Sundance 2, Pine Bluffs 3 (25-20, 25-14, 22-25, 23-25, 12-15):

Annika Haugen 16 digs, 4 kills, 37 assists

Hailey Karol 1 ace, 11 digs, 23 kills, 1 block

Blakely Gill 37 digs

Karly Marchant 1 ace, 15 digs

Jaylin Mills 3 aces, 18 digs, 27 kills, 7 assists, 1 block

Annie Harmon 1 ace, 3 digs, 1 kill

Kellie Phillips 12 digs

Halyn Cooney 1 dig, 3 kills

Arianna Neiman 4 assists, 1 block