Lady Bulldogs take third at State

The Sundance Lady Bulldogs volleyball team ended their season with an impressive third place finish at the 2A State Championship this past weekend in Casper. Their tournament began on Thursday afternoon as they took on the number one seed from the west, Rocky Mountain.

The Lady Bulldogs didn't let the seeding stand in their way as they swept Rocky Mountain in three straight sets, 25-11, 25-20 and 25-22, and established their presence at the state tournament. 

The Bulldogs' second round pitted the team against an ever-familiar foe, the Tongue River Eagles. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs fell to their conference rival in three sets and were knocked out of the championship path.

Down, but not out, the Bulldogs were still determined to gain their rightful place. Going against Thermopolis, the Bulldogs once again asserted their dominance.

Annika Haugen set her hard hitters up to dominate the net with 44 assists throughout the four-set match. Jaylin Mills and Hailey Karol took those sets and attacked the net with a combined 55 kills for the match, while Blakely Gill dominated the back row with 30 digs.

The combined team effort earned the Bulldogs a win and a chance at the third place trophy. The final game of their season put the Sundance Bulldogs against the Pine Bluffs Hornets in a third-place showdown.

The Bulldogs dominated the opening set, taking a 25-15 victory, but the Hornets were not going down without a fight. Building momentum throughout set number two, the Hornets closed the scoring gap, 20-25, and were able to overtake the Bulldogs in set number three 25-22.

Throughout set number four, the Bulldogs rallied together and finished the set with a 25-20 win and a 4-1 overall victory, taking third place in the 2A State Tournament. 

Reflecting on the season, head coach Chelsey Blasczyk stated, "The whole team showed up to state ready to fight for some hardware. We have been ranked 4th or 5th all season so finishing in 3rd was a great accomplishment," head coach Chelsey Blaczyk stated. "The girls were very poised and purposeful throughout the tournament, focusing on the moment and staying positive. They worked so hard at implementing all of our mental tools and I am so proud!"

Blakely Gill, Hailey Karol, Jaylin Mills also earned All Conference Honors.

The Lady Bulldogs finished their 2024 volleyball season with an overall record of 20-17-1.

Stats

SHS 3, Rocky Mountain 0 (25-11, 25-20, 25-22):

Annika Haugen 4 kills, 19 assists, 1 block, 3 aces, 7 digs

Jaylin Mills 13 kills, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 1 ace, 12 digs

Hailey Karol 10 kills, 1 block, 2 digs

Phoebe Skeens 1 kill, 1 block, 4 digs

Halyn Cooney 1 kill, 4 blocks 

Arianna Neiman 1 assist, 1 block, 2 digs

Blakely Gill 23 digs

Karly Marchant 2 aces, 8 digs

Annie Harmon 1 kill, 2 digs

Kellie Phillips 4 digs

SHS 0, Tongue River 3 (17-25, 14-25, 18-25):

Annika Haugen 21 assists, 1 block, 1 ace, 8 digs

Jaylin Mills 11 kills, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 ace, 16 digs

Hailey Karol 10 kills, 3 blocks, 1 ace, 4 digs

Phoebe Skeens 1 block, 3 digs

Halyn Cooney 4 kills, 1 dig

Arianna Neiman 1 block, 4 digs

Blakely Gill 20 digs

Karly Marchant 10 digs

Annie Harmon 1 kill, 1 dig

Kellie Phillips 4 digs

SHS 3, Thermopolis 1 (25-27, 25-21, 25-15, 25-17):

Annika Haugen 2 kills, 44 assists, 1 block, 13 digs

Jaylin Mills 28 kills, 7 assists, 2 blocks, 3 aces, 23 digs

Hailey Karol 27 kills, 1 block, 5 digs

Phoebe Skeens 2 kills, 11 digs

Halyn Cooney 3 blocks, 3 digs

Arianna Neiman 1 assist, 1 block, 4 digs

Blakely Gill 30 digs

Karly Marchant 9 digs

Annie Harmon 1 kill, 9 digs

Kellie Phillips 4 digs

SHS 3, Pine Bluffs 1 (25-15, 25-20, 22-25, 25-20):

Annika Haugen 2 kills, 36 assists, 1 block, 2 aces, 12 digs

Jaylin Mills 26 kills, 6 assists, 3 blocks, 1 ace, 21 digs

Hailey Karol 19 kills, 2 aces, 2 digs

Phoebe Skeens 2 kills, 1 assist, 7 digs

Halyn Cooney 1 kill, 1 assist, 2 blocks

Arianna Neiman 1 assist, 6 digs

Blakely Gill 2 aces, 33 digs

Karly Marchant 1 ace, 3 digs

Annie Harmon 5 digs

Kellie Phillips 9 digs