Lady Prospectors tame Tigers with sweep in tournament opener

PHILIPSBURG – Granite played well in its opener in the modified District 13C Volleyball Tournament opener Tuesday night, ending Darby’s season with a 25-18, 25-11, 25-19 sweep.

The win puts them into the semifinals against the No. 1 Blackhawks Thursday evening. The game will be played in Seeley Lake.

“There’s a different edge here,” said GHS Head Coach Jennifer Graham after Tuesday’s win. “In a (normal) tournament you have that buffer, that cushion. It’s ‘If we lose it’s alright because we have the cushion.’ This year some teams in our district don’t have that.”

The teams Graham is referring to are Darby, Lincoln and presumably Victor, each of whom lost in their tournament opener and have no consolation bracket to fall back on.

Granite opened the match by taking a lead in Game 1 that saw Darby try and challenge, but could never overcome. The Lady Prospectors held off the charge for the win and never really looked back the rest of the night.

It was a balanced night in the stat column for the locals as Asha Comings, Amelia Hill and Reece Pitcher each had three kills. Pitcher also found her way into the team leaders in digs (3) and tied Summer Phillips with five aces each. Rounding out the stat sheet were Rachel Ward with all nine assists and Lucia Lee had 2-1/2 blocks.