(October 16th, 2014)-HOLGATE: The Locomotives from Montpelier run on heart, not coal.
That heart was on display when the Lady Locos traveled to Holgate to take on the hometown Tigers in Sectionals play. After a rough regular season, Montpelier had every reason to simply go through the motions and gear up for next year. After falling behind early against Holgate, lesser teams might have done just that.
But not Montpelier.
Holgate pulled away in the middle of the first set, earning a solid 25-16 victory over the Locomotives. Regrouping, Montpelier readied itself for a battle in game 2. Yet they still suffered a tough 20-25 loss in the set. With their season about to be finished, the Locos responded. With poise and passion, they claimed a close game 3 25-18. Holgate redoubled their efforts, hoping to close the match out in game 4. The girls from Montpelier would have none of it, however, earning a narrow 25-23 victory to force a final set. Sadly, the comeback fell just short of success, as the Lady Locos found themselves on the wrong side of a very close 17-19 score in game 5.
Seniors Christy Duchene and Sidney Houk were hustling all night, giving their team 38 and 31 digs, respectively. Houk also added 12 digs and 4 assists, while Duchene contributed 6 assists and 1 kill. Hannah Blake had another balanced match, making 15 kills, 15 assists, and 12 digs. Landri McKelvey also had 15 assists to go along with her 5 aces on the evening.