Bear Lake's volleyball team concluded its regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 14, with a 3-1 victory over Snake River, according to a October 19 report. The win brought the Bears to a 23-5 overall record and a perfect 6-0 conference record heading into postseason play.
The Bears won the first two sets with scores of 25-22 and 25-18. Snake River rallied to take the third set 25-20, but Bear Lake responded in the fourth set by winning 25-17 to secure the match. Head coach Angie Hunter stated that Snake River played well and that the match was tough. Hunter noted that playing four sets was beneficial for the team as they prepared for postseason competition.
Avery Hunter led the offensive effort for Bear Lake with 26 kills, followed by Halle Wells with 19. Kylie Thompson and Londyn Lufkin each contributed six kills. The team's setters, Emma Topham and Hallie Hunter, combined for 49 assists. Paisley Lloyd recorded 23 successful serves out of 24 attempts and three aces, including critical serves in the fourth set to help secure the win.
Defensively, Halle Wells led the Bears with 16 digs, followed by Avery Hunter with 13, Sharli Lufkin with 10, and Lloyd with seven. Embree Wells recorded 11 assisted blocks, while Avery Hunter had nine and Londyn Lufkin had four. Coach Hunter also noted that Sharli Lufkin provided great digs on coverage during the match.
Bear Lake entered the 4A District 5 tournament on Saturday, Oct. 17, as the No. 1 seed, earning the right to host the event in Montpelier. The tournament continued on Monday, Oct. 19, with the district championship at stake. Bear Lake Athletic Director Jared Hillier said the district champion receives an automatic berth in the 4A State Volleyball Tournament, though Bear Lake has already secured a state tournament berth through its ranking.
The state tournament is scheduled for Halloween weekend in Lake City. Snake River finished its regular season with an 18-12 overall record and a 2-4 record in conference play.
