ORDER GAME PHOTOS

Ready or not, districts are coming!  Here we are at the beginning of the end, of the regular season.  We are so excited for the matchups this week and to see who earns their way to the state tournament this year!

It's been an exciting season so far as many have worked so hard to get to where they stand.  Some teams are still on the upswing as well, and are peaking just at the right moment.  Now is the time to trust your preparation and progress and finish strong.  There is still plenty of time for the final push of improvement and this is when it all matters most!

One team that has exceled all season long resides in Horseshoe Bend.  The Mustangs were the champions of Butte County's "I Pink I Can" Tournament this past weekend.  It was tough competition all day Saturday, as Horseshoe Bend battled the hosts from Butte County in the semifinals and Class 2A power Malad in the championship.  Both matches were tight, but Horseshoe Bend works together and has a tight team chemistry, which makes them a hard team to beat!

Annelie Wilson is a senior middle blocker for the Mustangs who has committed to Idaho State University to continue her volleyball career.  It is fun to watch players like Annelie who don't get rattled by mistakes or close games.  She is always collected and ready for the next ball.  She helps lead her team by example and does it all. 

At 6-foot-1, middle blockers don't normally serve, receive and play all six rotations, but Wilson does!  She holds high hitting and serve/receive percentages, which helps her team come out on top no matter how closely contested the match is.  Consistency is a key word in volleyball and that is also a word that is used to describe Annelie, as well as her teammate Abby Howerton.

Abby is a consistent scorer and defender similar to Annelie.  Both are reliable and you can see through their stats that they work hard to be better every ball and not commit an unforced error.  Abby is an outside hitter, who, like Annelie, plays all six rotations for the Mustangs.  She can place the ball where she wants it and to do this, you have to have a high level of court sense and ball control.  Howerton leads her team by example as she is among the Class 1AD2 leaders in kills, serve/receive percentage, and digs.

The Mustangs also boast Olivia Bauer, Torey Tschida and Alaina Rane, who are all hard working seniors and important parts to Horseshoe Bend's overall team success.  We also can't forget about Aliyah Meyer, who is a junior setter and keeps the team well-rounded.  As volleyball is a team sport, it takes all six on the court at any given time to work together and every role is important.  Keep going girls!  We are excited to watch you compete for the rest of this season!

Skyline, Pocatello and Eagle all had the opportunity to play Utah teams at the Cache Valley Challenger Tournament this past weekend.  All came home with some wins and losses, but most importantly, lessons learned from great competition and, of course, great experiences.

Get ready...the last three weeks of volleyball season are fast approaching! We can't wait to see what happens!