GREAT FALLS – After five sets of momentum shifts, rallies and no shortage of intensity, Great Falls CMR junior Allie Olsen was spent. When asked if she’d ever competed in a volleyball match with that much drama she didn’t have to think long.
“No. Nope. No match,” she said. “None like that.”
Olsen helped her team to a five-set crosstown thriller over rival Great Falls High, 25-22, 24-26, 22-25, 25-16, 21-19.
Notice the score of the fifth set. It was bonkers. Each team had several match-point opportunities, but neither could put the contest to bed until an errant Bison dig sealed the win for the Rustlers.
“It’s really exciting and nerve-racking, so you just have to keep playing the ball every time,” Olsen said. “I thought I could bring people up when we were struggling and I just had to keep fighting so my team could stay alive.”
Kaitlyn Gilbert led the Bison with nine kills. Great Falls High fell in the first set 25-22 but rallied to take the next two sets. In the second, Great Falls High trailed 24-20 before scoring six straight for a 26-24 win. In the third, the Bison trailed 21-12 before erasing the nine-point deficit with a 13-1 run for a 25-22 win.
The Rustlers improved to 9-9 overall with a 3-3 mark the Eastern AA. Great Falls High fell to 5-13 with a 1-5 conference mark.
