Coyotes are confident before state tournament

Williston High volleyball coach Haley Jeannotte is the first to admit the team hit a slump midseason. You wouldn’t be able to tell now.

“About five weeks ago, the girls just decided to turn it on,” Jeannotte said. “And when they decide to do that, they aren’t easy to stop.”

The rolling Coyotes take their game to the state tournament this week in Minot, beginning Thursday against Grand Forks Red River.

The Coyotes will be facing a taller team in GFRR, something they haven’t done often this season.

But the Coyotes must overcome that height disadvantage to meet their stated goal of a top-four finish.

“Red River’s definitely beatable for us,” Jeannotte said. “But they are a big team, and we’ll have to pass well to beat them. We’ll have to move fast and be ready for their hitting.”

The Coyotes are counting on Megan Torgerson and Brittany Nice up front to neutralize Red River’s hitting and give Katelyn Christensen and the defense a chance to work.

Torgerson leads the team with 367 kills and 160 solo blocks, and Nice has 241 kills and 120 solo blocks on the season. Christenson has a team-high 784 digs, and is helped in the back row by Kayla Kain (447 digs).

“(Torgerson) needs to look for a big block early,” Jeannotte said. “It’s about setting the tone for the match.”

Once the dig has been made, the transition game to the attack depends on Rachel Hennessy (451 assists) and Lindy Bjella (499 assists).

“Lindy Bjella has been a strong vocal leader for us in the back row,” Jeannotte said. “We look to her for vocal leadership on defense and offense.”

The Coyotes, the No. 3 West seed, play No. 2 East Red River at 8 p.m. Thursday in the final game of the day at Minot. Win or lose, the Coyotes might in line for a second-round match with Bismarck Century in either the semifinals or the consolation bracket.

“Typically, Century is the one team that we face that is bigger than us,” Jeannotte said. “It wasn’t their size that beat us, though.”

In the Class B tournament, the Stanley Blue Jays take on Litchville-Marion/Montpelier at 2 p.m. Thursday.