St. Regis battles Superior before tournament begins

ST. REGIS/SUPERIOR – In one of their final games of the season before beginning the regional tournament the St. Regis Lady Tigers saw victory against their county rivals, the Superior Lady Bobcats.

The game was extremely close and both teams played strong. Throughout the entire game, the score was often tied.

In the first set, both teams came out strong and neither one had the lead for long. Both sides made powerful serves and kept volleys going for a long time. Eventually, St. Regis pulled ahead and won the set by 11 points.

The second set was equally close with the Lady Tigers gaining an initial lead. However, Superior came back and gained a strong lead. While St. Regis started to recover, it wasn’t enough and the Lady Bobcats took the set by seven points. Head Coach Jennifer Pruitt described the girls as flustered during the set.

The third set was the most intense, with both teams playing a complicated game. The Lady Tigers gained a lead early, but the girls from Superior kept them on their toes and maintained a tie for most of the set. After a match of back and forth, St. Regis won the set by a narrow three points.

In the final set, St. Regis came back with a vengeance. Gaining an initial lead, the Lady Tigers quickly pulled ahead and opened a huge gap in the score. While they played well, the Lady Bobcats were unable to keep up and the Lady Tigers won the game with a set score of 25-7.

Pruitt said she was very happy with how the match turned out, since it was the team’s last game before the tournament starts. She said they “started strong and ended strong.”

Beth Janney, head coach for the Superior Lady Bobcats, was disappointed by the outcome. She said it was hard to have played well in the first three sets and then be defeated so decisively in the fourth.

“It stings a little for both the girls and myself,” said Janney.

Pruitt gave special praise to junior Gabby Moeller, senior Arianna Jones for the overall stats they earned during the game. She also acknowledged junior Patience Jones for her back row game. Pruitt said the whole team had a good game and the victory was a team effort.

According to Janney, junior Nadeia Ewounik played her best game of the season while her sister, sophomore Danielle Ewounik, made a lot of great serves. Janney also gave special praise to junior Jordan Mueller for her exceptional sets and sophomore Marissa Koke for the way she controlled the net in the second and third sets.

In a show of good sportsmanship, Pruitt also praised the Lady Bobcats for their game, saying they had “come a long way” during their season. She also feels they will do well in the tournament.

Janney commended the Lady Tigers for their game, saying they played phenomenally.

“They were pumped up for senior night and they played hard the whole game,” said Janney. “They never let anything hit the floor.”

“I was very impressed with how they played tonight,” said Pruitt.

The Lady Bobcats played their final game of the season in Noxon on Saturday. Leading up to the game, Janney was confident the girls would do well if they kept focused and consistently played strong.

This confidence was well founded as, after a hard-fought game, the Lady Bobcats won the match in five sets.

According to Janney, the Lady Red Devils won the second and third sets and “took [the girls] out of [their] game.” The Lady Bobcats were able to pull back however and won a decisive victory in the fifth set. Janney said the game showed how tough the team is and said they can compete even when the odds are against them.

Senior Michelle Smith and sophomore Marissa Koke were instrumental in bringing the team back in the last two sets. Janney said they stepped up as leaders and pulled the team back into playing offensively.

“No one was making plays in the second and third games,” said Janney. “Those two stepped up to the plate and the rest of the team followed.”

Pruitt would not discuss her training tactics leading up to the start of the regional tournament, though she does plan on working with the Lady Tigers.

“That’s my main thing, getting what I need done [taken care of],” said Pruitt.

She also did not have a prediction on how the Lady Tigers would do in the tournament. Pruitt described volleyball as “a head game” and said they would do well if they showed up with the right attitude.

“If we go in there strong, we can come out strong,” said Pruitt. “It’s just how we show up and play.”

Janney will work with the Lady Bobcats on their consistency during games. She said it can be a struggle to play a strong, tough game but is confident they will be ready for their first tournament match.

Pruitt acknowledged there were several really good teams in their conference and said any of them would be able to make it to the top.

The Lady Tiger’s first matchup of the tournament will be Friday, November 1 at 9 a.m. At the time of the interview, other schools still needed to finish their seasons and Pruitt had no information on which team they would be facing. The Lady Bobcats will also begin the tournament on Friday, playing against the Arlee Lady Scarlet.