The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

SAND COULEE — The Big Sandy Pioneers are seeing improvement as their regular season on the volleyball court nears completion.

Big Sandy 3, Centerville 0

The Pioneers went down to Sand Coulee and swept Centerville on Tuesday, Oct. 7 for their second consecutive win in thrilling 25-20, 25-23, 25-21 fashion.

“I definitely think we’re going up,” junior Tavie Wortman said in an interview after the match in which she led her team with 9 digs. “Winning two games in a row is really going to send us up and give us some encouragement, I think.”

The Pioneers showed great composure in fighting back in the first set after relinquishing a 10-4 lead and falling behind 18-16. A powerful kill by junior Amiya Griffith and a block by Angie Sant put Big Sandy back on top and Sant put the final stamp of approval on the set win with a service ace.

Big Sandy fell behind 15-5 in the second set but rallied back and began hitting the ball with authority.

“I felt like I got a little angry after missing a couple,” Griffith said. “I’ve been working hard on my hits in practice and I think it’s paying off.”

“The first set, especially, there seemed to be a good flow on the court. We finally kind of tightened some things up tonight,” said Pioneers coach Brittany McKenney. “We really fought back. Luckily, we showed tonight we have that fight.”

The young Lady Miners showed themselves prone to some of the troubles Big Sandy has had to work out since the early season. Like the Pioneers of late August and early September, they looked unsure of themselves when trying to protect a lead and fell victim to a more confident squad when the momentum swung. They also showed a propensity for rallying from deep deficits but falling just short late.

McKenney recognized those tendencies from her own squad’s past.

“It’s good to be on the other side of that now,” she said.

The Pioneers led by a much as 17-10 in the final set but Centerville came back to make it interesting, drawing within 23-21 before Big Sandy could close it out.

“Coming off a win (hosting Denton-Geyster-Stanford) was great,” Griffith said, adding that the Pioneers got the win “based on just our team chemistry.”

The girls are building each other up. Wortman, who played a valuable defensive role in the rear as well as adding timely plays at the net, said a teammate noticed her versatility and thanked her for it earlier in the week.

“(She) told me, ‘I really like how you’re willing to go wherever Coach wants you to go,’” Wortman said.

Griffith led the team with 9 kills in the match while senior Alicia Bjornestad had team highs with 22 assists, four aces and two blocks.

Fort Benton 3, Big Sandy 0

District 7C leaders Fort Benton paid their first visit to Big Sandy as a league foe and displayed similar dominance Thursday to the teams’ earlier meeting down south.

The Longhorns prevailed 25-14, 25-9, 25-4. The Pioneers were competitive in the first set against the Longhorn regulars, whereas they played their best set against Fort Benton earlier this season only after they had gone to their bench.

Griffith recorded 10 digs and Bjornestad had five assists to lead Big Sandy in the effort. Those two, along with Noelle Beirwagen, each tallied two kills.

Highwood/Geraldine 3, Big Sandy 1

The Pioneers took a shot at another upper echelon 7C foe Friday and snagged a set against the Rivals, who have also come on strong in their first year in the league. In Highwood, the hosts managed a 25-11, 24-26, 25-16, 25-5 win. Griffith led Big Sandy with team highs of five aces and four kills. Beirwagen had a team high of 10 digs and Bjornestad led the Pioneers with 11 assists.

The Pioneers played at home Tuesday against Centerville, after press time. They are scheduled to conclude the regular season with a Thursday, Oct. 22 visit to Box Elder and a final home match Saturday, Oct. 24 against Chester-Joplin-Inverness.