It’s been a challenging year for most Fremont County 1-A and 2-A teams; the exception is in the High Country, where the Lady Rams of Dubois sit atop the Class 1-A Northwest with a perfect 4-0 conference record.
Dubois swept the Kaycee Invitational last Saturday, winning all eight games. They handled Guernsey-Sunrise 25-17, 25-22, Luck 25-21, 25-13, Upton 27-25, 25-18, and host Kaycee 25-15, 25-16.
The Lady Rams are riding a seven-game winning streak going into a Tuesday match with Wind River.
“I’ve got 16 wonderful girls,” Dubois head coach Katrina Dingman said. “They’re having a great season.”
Dubois senior Kenzy Day leads the team. She hit 1,500 career assists just last week.
The other Class 1-A Fremont County team, the Lady Eagles of St. Stephen’s, remains in search of their first win.
Wind River is also struggling this season with an overall record of 3-21 and a Southwest 2-A mark of 0-3 after a 3-0 sweep by Wyoming Indian last Tuesday. The Lady Cougars made it close in all three games of the match but fell 26-24, 25-23, 27-25.
The Lady Chiefs are in the hunt in the Southwest with wins over Kemmerer and Wind River. Big Piney leads the league with a 3-0 record despite an overall mark of 8-15 after playing up in Class 3-A and 4-A tournaments earlier in the season.
The Lady Wranglers always play a wide-open schedule with tournaments against larger schools and matches with the tough Class 2-A East.
Shoshoni is 9-14 overall, currently in third place in the Northwest 2-A behind conference unbeaten Greybull at 3-0 and second-place Rocky Mountain at 2-1.
The Lady Wranglers had a busy weekend, beating Wyoming Indian 25-12, 25-10, 20-25, and 25-23 on Thursday before traveling to Wright for a triangular with the host Lady Panthers and the fourth-ranked Lady Hornets of Pine Bluffs.
“As the season comes closer to the end, this group of volleyball girls stands proud – not because of a flawless record, but because of the grit, growth, and heart they have shown every step of the way,” Shoshoni head coach Jamie Maddock said. “We haven’t had the full varsity squad on the court together most of the season. Injuries, illnesses, and family emergencies meant lineups changed constantly.”
Pine Bluffs swept Shoshoni 25-20, 25-12, 25-9, but the Lady Wranglers were to win a game against Wright in a four-game match that went 25-10, 26-24, 20-25 and 28-26. With two games in volleyball’s version of overtime or extra innings, that’s a close match.
“These girls have rotated through roles, learning to set, hit, block, and dig in ways they never expected,” Maddock said. “Week by week, they came back to practice, improved their skills, strengthened their communication, and have grown more confident in their game.”