By Brittany Richard
BIG SANDY — It was a banner week (Sept 4th weekend) for the Big Sandy volleyball program as all three levels of competition hit the court, highlighted by a spectacular, championship run by the Junior Varsity team and an undefeated opening pool-play performance by the Varsity squad.
Junior High Starts Strong Against St. Jude
The future of Pioneer volleyball looks incredibly bright as the Junior High squads officially opened their season. Traveling to face St. Jude, both the “A” and “B” teams put together exceptional performances to secure big wins across the board. The young athletes executed at a high level, providing an awesome, energetic start to their fall campaign.
Shorthand JV Squad Crowned Cascade Showcase Champions
The Big Sandy Junior Varsity team put together a massive statement performance at the Cascade Showcase, walking away as the tournament champions. Making the achievement even more impressive, the Pioneers captured the title while missing two starting players due to injury.
Stepping into the spotlight, Big Sandy’s younger players rose to the occasion. Backed by three 8th graders (Kennedy Keane, Cassia Butler and Olivia Sura) who turned in wonderful performances, the JV Pioneers opened with a two-set sweep over Simms. After splitting sets with Cascade and sweeping Centerville in straight sets, Big Sandy earned a spot in the title game for a highly anticipated rematch against host Cascade. The young Pioneers dug deep, executed down the stretch, and defeated Cascade to claim the championship trophy.
Varsity Dominates Pool Play, Falls in Tournament Finale
On Friday, the Varsity Lady Pioneers put on an absolute clinic during pool play, storming through the field undefeated without dropping a single set. Big Sandy took down Cascade (21-16, 21-14), Augusta (21-16, 21-4), Centerville (21-13, 21-9), and Highwood (21-15, 21-15).
The momentum carried into Saturday morning, where the Pioneers handled Sunburst in dominant fashion (21-9, 21-6).
Statistically, Big Sandy’s performance was staggering, showcasing incredible defense and an explosive attack. The team combined for:
•Digs: 168 total (led by Lauri Silvan with 36)
•Assists: 61 total (led by Silvan with 44)
•Kills: 77 total (led by Korbyn Jurenka with 21)
•Aces: 29 total (led by Silvan with 9)
•Blocks: 4 total (Bailey Heppner and London Keane with 2 each)
Having already beaten Cascade in 4 sets this season, the Pioneers knew the host team would be hunting for revenge in the tournament bracket. Unfortunately for Big Sandy, uncharacteristic errors proved costly in the rematch. The Varsity squad fought hard but fell short in straight sets, dropping the match 19-21 and 14-21.
Hungry and Humble for the Road Ahead
Despite the bittersweet ending to the weekend, there’s immense pride in the program’s rapid trajectory.
“While it was a disappointing way to finish the tournament, I was proud of the improvement we are already seeing from last weekend to this weekend. We are continuing to get better, and this loss keeps us humble and hungry with the long season ahead.”
The Lady Pioneers will take those early-season lessons right back to the practice floor as they prepare for a busy road schedule. Big Sandy will travel to face Highwood on Thursday before heading to Box Elder on Saturday.
As always, GO PIONEERS!
Big Sandy Volleyball Bounces Back with Strong, Undefeated Weekend (Sept 11th weekend)
BIG SANDY, MT — It was a week of growth and resilience for the Big Sandy Lady Pioneers volleyball program. After a challenging start on the road, the Pioneers found their rhythm to put together an undefeated weekend across the Junior High, Junior Varsity, and Varsity squads.
The week began in Chester, where the C and JV teams kicked off the action. Despite playing hard and putting together some great volleys, both squads unfortunately came up short. However, the early setbacks motivated the Pioneers for the rest of their weekly slate.
Varsity Wins Five-Set Match Against Highwood
The Pioneers responded with a clean sweep against Highwood across multiple age groups. The Junior High “A” and “B” teams set a strong tone early, with both squads earning victories in three sets.
The Varsity matchup proved to be a highly competitive battle. Big Sandy and Highwood went back-and-forth in a tight five-set match. After falling behind two sets to one, the Lady Pioneers rallied to take the final two frames and secure the comeback victory (25-22, 23-25, 18-25, 25-15, 15-11).
Defensively, the Pioneers recorded 82 total digs, anchored by Lauri Silvan and Harley Labuda, who finished with 17 digs each. Elaina Weaver was a brick wall at the net, accounting for 7 of the team’s 8 total blocks. The team had 32 assists, 39 kills and 7 aces. Silvan turned in an impressive all-around performance, leading the team in all three categories - assists (17), kills (13), and aces (3).
Success Continues Against Box Elder
Big Sandy carried that momentum into their next matchup against Box Elder, where the program-wide success continued. The Junior High “A” and “B” teams took care of business efficiently, both winning in decisive two-set matches. The JV squad showed great improvement from earlier in the week, battling through a four-set match to come out on top.
In the Varsity match, Big Sandy started fast with a dominant 25-5 win in the opening set. Box Elder managed to edge out a close 24-26 second set, but the Lady Pioneers quickly reset to control the remainder of the match, taking the final two sets 25-12 and 25-11.
The defense remained a major factor, tallying 90 total digs—led by Lauri Silvan and Korbyn Jurenka with 24 digs a piece. Offensively, we had 29 assists, 37 kills and 14 aces. Silvan again filled the stat sheet with 19 assists, 12 kills, and 5 aces, while London Keane recorded two blocks.
Coach’s Corner & Look Ahead
The strong weekend finish showcased the hard work and support within the program.
“I am proud of the way all of our teams finished this week. It’s fun to see their competitive drive and confidence grow. I also really enjoyed seeing our school spirit and all of these kids supporting one another. We really appreciate the fans!”
The Lady Pioneers will play in front of their home crowd for the first time this week, hosting Hays on Friday. They will then hit the road on Saturday for a matchup against North Star.
As always, GO PIONEERS!!
