Lady Cats determined to break through for state win

CLARK FORK — The Clark Fork volleyball team is hungry for a deep postseason run.

The Lady Cats went 0-2 at state for the second straight year last season, and after their final team dinner at the tourney the players expressed their desire to not just get back to state, but do some damage, head coach Michelle Valliere said.

If the Lady Cats carry that drive and spirit into this season, Michelle believes they could do something special.

“I’m excited to see what we do this year,” she said. “I need them to get that feeling they had at the end of that state tournament and bring it all the way through the season.”

Clark Fork went 12-4 last season and, for the most part, coasted to a fourth straight North Star League title and trip to state. There was one speed bump in their journey to a district championship — Mullan.

The Tigers upset the Lady Cats, who were on a seven-game winning streak at the time, in five sets on their home court.

The loss spoiled Clark Fork’s chances at a third straight undefeated season in league and gave Mullan the opportunity to win the virtual coin toss for the No. 1 seed in the 1A Division II District 1 tournament.

The defeat turned out to be the wake-up call the Lady Cats needed as they went into Mullan and took down the Tigers in straight sets to punch their ticket to state.

Clark Fork has dominated the NSL the last few years allowing state to become part of the yearly routine. However, Michelle wants to ensure her team doesn’t start looking beyond the regular season and stays in the moment. She hopes they learned from last season when they thought state was a given.

She just wants them to leave it all on the court every night regardless of who they play.

“Anybody can come out and beat us, anybody can have a bad game, anybody can get down on themselves and the opposite is true, too,” she said.

This season, the Lady Cats will not be guaranteed a spot at state if they win districts. Instead, they will earn a spot in a state play-in game against the District 2 runner-up at Lake City High School.

Clark Fork returns all of the players who saw time on the state stage last season. Experience was something they lacked at state in 2020, but not anymore. The team will be guided by three all-league seniors — Caiya Yanik, Taylor Staley and Katelyn Matteson — after having none last fall.

Staley got her first taste of state last year and gained a lot of knowledge from the experience that she hopes to utilize on and off the court this fall.

Staley, an outside hitter, said the Lady Cats walked into the gym at state and were a bit intimidated by the height and talent of their opponents. She doesn’t see that happening again this fall.

“I learned that we can’t doubt ourselves just because we’re a smaller team,” she said.

Staley started playing volleyball in seventh grade as a way to get out of the house and attach herself to a team. The adrenaline of the sport has kept her in it, and she loves being able to take out all her anger and stress on the ball.

Co-league MVP Paige Valliere is back at setter and sophomores Lilly Reuter and Taylor Payne are also expected to play key holes this fall.

Clark Fork has 12 players on the roster, enough for them to field a junior varsity team throughout the season. Five of those players are freshmen and several will float between JV and varsity. Michelle said it will be nice to have that depth and the ability to build for the future.

The team will be without all-league outside hitter Emily Myers, who is recovering from a torn ACL. Rising sophomore Eloise Shelton, who saw plenty of playing time last fall, is going to step into Myers’ spot at outside hitter.

Paige said she’s confident Shelton can be a difference maker for the Lady Cats this season. During the offseason, the junior watched Shelton really dial in the placement of her hits.

“She’s always been a stronger hitter especially for her height,” Paige said.

Speaking of the offseason, the Lady Cats were able to participate in several jamborees and scrimmages in the area. They didn’t travel to Spokane for tournaments like they usually do due to up-and-down COVID-19 restrictions in Washington, but Clark Fork was still able to get into one tournament.

It wasn’t completely business as usual, but the Lady Cats got a lot more of an offseason than last year when everything was canceled.

“Getting the touches in is all that really matters,” Yanik said.

A majority of the varsity players stuck with the team’s offseason program — the Clark Fork Juniors Volleyball Club — throughout the spring and summer, which is important in building a successful high school program, Michelle said.

Bringing back the club team about eight years ago is what has allowed the Lady Cats to be in contention for a state berth every season, Michelle said.

“It makes a huge difference,” she said about the club season. “When you go to a tournament you get in as many matches as you get in a whole season of high school ball.”

Paige, who is chasing league MVP honors again, said the team improved quite a bit over the summer and she is looking forward to utilizing some of the new plays they’ve installed.

Michelle said it’s great having her daughter, Paige, on the court because their connection allows them to communicate nonverbally.

“She can read my mind,” Michelle said.

Clark Fork is scheduled to play in the Coeur d’Alene JV Tournament on Sept. 11 and they are on the waiting list for entry into the Pea and Lentil Tournament in Genesee on Oct. 2. A handful of 1A Division I and II teams in contention for state berths are participating in the tourney and Michelle said the Lady Cats are next in line if somebody cancels.

Yanik is ready for the season to start and desperately wants to end her career with at least one win at state. The middle hitter really improved her hitting and passing over the offseason and she hopes that dedication pays off this fall.

Michelle said the seniors will determine how far this team goes. Their drive and the example they set will be the determining factors.

“I just need them to commit and show up every day to practice and give 110 percent,” she said.

Yanik said this team has tremendous potential.

“I think we’re capable of anything we put our minds to because I mean all it really takes is dedication and commitment,” she said.

In March, Clark Fork lost someone forever etched in the community’s history — Cindy Derr, who passed away at the age of 65. The impact Cindy had on the town and beyond is hard to put into words. She was a volleyball coach in the area for over 30 years and led the Lady Cats to multiple state trophies.

Michelle is Cindy’s niece and she said over the past few months she’s caught herself a few times trying to text her aunt updates about how the program is doing. She even wonders what aunt Cindy would say about the new ball carts she bought or if she would tell her to be harder on her players.

Clearly, Cindy is still with her, and Michelle expects that to continue for as long as her and JV coach Lyndsie Kiebert are on the sidelines at CFHS. Cindy was their mentor and her legacy carries on through them.

“She’s always in the back of my mind,” Michelle said. “I think she’s going to live on in the Clark Fork gym for a while longer.”

Clark Fork opens the season at home on Thursday, Sept. 2 against Lakeside. The match will start at 6 p.m.