HELENA — Every volleyball match has a few high-leverage points and Tuesday night, inside the Jungle, against Missoula Hellgate, each one seemed to go to Helena High.
The Bengals might have swept the Knights (3-0), on their way to a 3-0 start in the Western AA conference, but it was closer than the score might suggest after HHS bested the Knights 25-19, 25-23 and 25-22.
“Every conference match is going to feel tight,” Helena head coach Lindsey Day said. “All of us are so evenly matched, it could be anybody’s game, so my message to the girls has been to focus on one point at a time and to play every point like it’s match point.”
Dealing with heavy losses to graduation, including the 2024 Western AA Player of the Year Birdie Heuiser, the Bengals struggled during the non-conference portion of the schedule.
Yet, since the start of conference play on Friday, the Bengals have been perfect. In fact, with their three-set sweep of Hellgate, Helena has won nine of its last 10 sets dating back to its match on Friday.
Helena dropped the first set Friday against Kalispell Flathead, then won via reverse sweep. The Bengals haven’t cooled off since.
“These girls have been working so hard in the gym,” Day said. “They have just this want and drive to get better every day.”
One example of that is Ella McCarthy, an all-conference middle blocker as a junior, who had to step into the point-scoring void left by Heuiser.
On Saturday, the 20 kills she notched against Glacier were reminiscent of something a Heuiser might do. Tuesday night, McCarthy was credited with 15 points in the win for Helena, thanks to nine kills and a match-high six blocks.
“She’s doing a great job of stepping into that leadership role,” Day said. “Filling Birdie Heuiser’s shoes was tough, but she’s doing it beautifully. She’s our girl that if we need to put a ball away, we can trust that she’s going to get it done.”
McCarthy wasn’t just effective at killing the ball against the Knights; her defense was stellar, too, limiting a Hellgate lineup that features talented hitter Cady Schneider to just 25 kills compared to 36 for the Bengals.
McCarthy wasn’t alone in that effort. Libero Dakota Lieberg, a junior, spearheaded a strong defensive effort with 18 digs.
“Dakota Lieberg, not a lot gets past her,” Day said. “She controls the tempo of our offense so well. I love it when the ball is in her hands and we all have more confidence when the ball is hit to that position five. And she had her hands full. Cady Schneider is a dang-good player. She mixes it up really well and swings really hard, but I thought the girls did well, and did their best to limit her.”
One player Hellgate had a tough time limiting was Helena junior Sammy Knutson, who led all hitters in the win with 13 kills, including the clinching point in set two with the Bengals holding a 24-23 lead.
The Bengals have won three in a row. That’s helped them forget the seven straight losses they suffered to start the season in nonconference.
“We were so excited to get back to conference play and winning those first two games got our confidence really high,” McCarthy said. “Then, coming in and winning (Tuesday), it has been so much fun.”
Being a senior leader hasn’t always been easy for McCarthy, but she’s found joy in that, too.
“I was told that my leadership needs to go up, because I have always been quiet,” she said. “Being a senior is a lot of fun and being best friends with the entire team.”
Hellgate led for much of the third set. Yet, Helena rallied and finished things off on a kill by Chloe Jackson, which keeps HHS atop the Western AA standings, even though it’s early.
“It feels so good,” McCarthy said. “We do have new people playing around us, but I think that keeps our energy up. We just want to keep going and keep showing them how good it feels to win.”
Brooklyn Smith pitched in with six kills and five blocks for the Bengals. Avery Peterson contributed with 34 assists.
Helena (3-7, 3-0) will play Missoula Sentinel on the road Thursday. Hellgate (1-8, 1-2) will host Helena Capital on Saturday at 4 p.m.
For tips, email: chris.peterson@406mtsports.com or text/call: 406-475-4292.
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