Lovell netters sweep Rocky Mountain after losses to Cody and Tongue River

The Lovell Lady Bulldogs experienced mixed results during a busy week as they played three matches in six days.

The Lady Bulldogs opened conference play at home Thursday and fell to the Cody Fillies in three sets, 25-22, 25-13, 25-19. Saturday, the Lovell squad crossed the mountain to meet always strong 2A opponent Tongue River and fell to the Lady Eagles in four sets, 16-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-15.

Lovell hosted local rival Rocky Mountain before a boisterous homecoming crowd Tuesday night and stopped the Lady Grizzlies in three sets, 25-15, 25-22, 25-22.

“Cody was a fight,” Lovell head coach Tera Kostelecky said. “We started well and then made some mental errors. We lost the momentum and lost. Tongue River was a great step forward. We played a lot of great volleyball, especially for playing without Libby (Mickelson). Brooklin (Clark) stepped up and made more positives than negatives.

“Jenna (Hessenthaler) was able to play back row and made some really big digs. We took TR to four sets, and their coach mentioned that the match was the toughest they played all season so far. We have been really growing as a blocking team. This has allowed our defense to get the digs we need.”

The team fed off the big crowd Tuesday night, Kostelecky said.

“Homecoming is nerve-racking,” she said. “We appeared to have a full gymnasium. Two great student sections and some noise was good for us. We talked about having an attitude of a bulldog, and tonight we showed devotion, commitment, stubbornness and loyalty to what we are trying to accomplish this year.

“Although it was not pretty at times, we were able to put personal struggles aside and keep moving forward. Winning three straight was also a large accomplishment. It was great to see the setters diversify their setting abilities and see them make smarter decisions. All our hitters saw success tonight.

“We have a large team of hitters, and we were able to utilize all of them. Jenna stepped up with serving and was able to give Libby a break. We know we still have a little to grow. We are continuing to climb.”

The Lady Bulldogs have just one match this week, a conference match Saturday at Worland. Matches are scheduled for 12, 1 and 2 p.m.