Bristol blasts 15 kills to lead Wampus Cats over Miners

CLARK FORK — Hailey Bristol was on fire with a season-high 15 kills, as the Wampus Cats celebrated Senior Night in style with a 23-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-17 win over Wallace in North Star League volleyball on Thursday night at Clark Fork High School.

Nona Young and Allison Warner combined for 15 digs, as the four-year varsity players were honored before the game along with Sarah Holderman and Torri Foltz. The emotions on Senior Night spilled over into the first set, where the Wampus Cats (10-9, 7-3 NSL) struggled before settling in and playing their game.

Head coach Cindy Derr adjusted her lineup so the seniors could play for most of the match, as the team continues to cope with some tough times.

“We are coming to the end of a very emotional week and I was proud of the job both JV and varsity players showed tonight,” said Derr. “It was hard playing at home minus players, but they stuck together and made it through.”

Brooke Stevens had a big night guiding the offense with 32 assists, eight digs and five kills, Ellie Lambert added 15 digs and some strong hustle, as the Cats played their final regular season match before the district tournament on Wednesday.

“We are still struggling with service errors so need to be able to dial that in,” praising the leadership of Young. “She played well all the way around and had some nice kills on the right side.”

The Cats open the 1A District 1-2 tournament on Wednesday when they face Lakeside at 5:30 p.m. at Timberlake High School. The winner advances to play what will most likely be Kootenai at 7 p.m. in the championship game.