Lady Grizzlies split busy weekend against Greybull Buffs and Shoshoni Wranglers

The Rocky Mountain varsity volleyball team capped off a demanding two-day home stand to finish out their Homecoming Week, battling Greybull in four sets on Friday, Sept. 26, before earning a decisive sweep over Shoshoni on Saturday.

Friday’s matchup against Greybull saw the Lady Grizzlies drop a close contest, 18–25, 24–26, 25–21, 20–25. Despite the setback, Rocky had several bright spots. Lauren Bassett powered down 16 kills to go with 3 block assists and 5 digs. Halle Grandalen turned in a strong all-around effort with 11 kills and 17 digs. Keylee Christiansen distributed the offense with 34 assists and added 3 aces from the service line. Layla Gardner was flawless at the line, going 16-for-16 while collecting 11 digs. Charlee Welling and Kaysie Cooley also contributed steady play at the net and in the back row.

Coach Kay Townsend said she was proud of her team’s play after the Greybull match, noting, “They came out and played like a team. I compared our team stats to Greybull, and they were almost identical. We did miss some serves at crucial times.”

Sweep over Shoshoni

On Saturday, the Grizzlies bounced back in style, sweeping Shoshoni in straight sets, 25–22, 25–19, 25–19. Bassett once again led the attack with 12 kills, while Grandalen added 7 kills and 11 digs. Christiansen tallied 25 more assists, and Cooley provided a spark with 8 kills and 4 service aces. Gardner dug deep for 14 digs, and Welling added another ace to round out a balanced team effort.

Townsend also highlighted the steady growth she’s seen across the roster.

“We served well, and our serve reception was close to perfect,” she said. “Again, it was teamwork. I do want to thank our bench for rallying behind the players on the court and giving them great energy.

“This was a good test for us, and I think the girls showed they can dig deep and respond. If we keep building on this, we’ll be in a great place heading into the rest of the season.”

Weekend highlights

Over the two matches, Christiansen finished with an impressive 59 assists and no service errors, while Bassett and Grandalen combined for 46 kills. Gardner led the defense with 25 digs, while Cooley added 22 digs and a strong serving presence.

The Lady Grizzlies continue to hold the best overall winning percentage in the 2A West Region, but they currently trail Greybull in the conference standings. Rocky sits at 14–8 overall and 1–1 in conference play, while Greybull leads the 2A Northwest with a 12–8 overall record and a 2–0 mark in conference action. Shoshoni is also 1–1 in conference at 8–13 overall, and Thermopolis is in 4th at 4–14, still searching for its first conference win at 0–2.

In the 2A Southwest, Big Piney leads the pack with an 8–13 overall record but a perfect 3–0 in conference. Wyoming Indian follows at 5–14 and 1–1, while Kemmerer (3–23, 1–2) and Wind River (3–20, 0–2) are still working to climb the standings.

Looking ahead

When asked about this week’s lighter schedule after a month of multiple matches each week, Townsend noted, “Yes, it was a hectic month in September. It is good to slow down so we can concentrate on the remaining four conference games.”

The Lady Grizzlies play only one game this week, hosting Thermopolis on Friday. The junior varsity plays at 2 p.m. and the varsity at 3.