FREMONT COUNTY – Competition continues to intensify in 2A high school volleyball as the Big Piney High School Lady Punchers and their rivals vie for the top conference seeds before the postseason.

The Oct. 13 game between Big Piney and Wyoming Indian High School (WIHS) came down to the wire in a five-set, point-for-point battle. WIHS narrowly won a first set that went beyond 25 points.

Bouncing back, the Lady Punchers defeated WIHS in both the second and third sets. WIHS responded with a 3-point win in the fourth set, forcing the game into a tiebreaker.

WIHS ultimately won the fifth set by 5 points to secure a 3-2 victory in a heartbreaker for the Lady Punchers that could have easily gone either way.

Digging deep, Big Piney returned to the court on Oct. 14 to play conference opponent St. Stephens. Leaving it all on the court, the Lady Punchers trounced St. Stephens in a 3-0 sweep.

WIHS

The first set established the rhythm with the lead frequently changing hands.

Big Piney tied the set at 23 points with a kill from sophomore Brylie Bailey. An ace served up by sophomore Kaity Shreve placed the Lady Punchers ahead, 24-23.

WIHS pulled into the lead before junior Micah Strong set over a point, resulting in a 25-25 stalemate.

WIHS managed to score the 2 points needed to win, 27-25.

Rallying in the second set, Big Piney quickly closed an early lead by WIHS with a pair of aces from Bailey. A block from sophomore Kodee Greene, an ace by freshman Jada Banks and a kill from Strong maintained Big Piney’s lead.

Strong delivered an ace and Banks shot over two kills. Bailey aced a serve and WIHS struck out returning a hit by sophomore Lizzy Brandt.

Strong powered over a kill and Banks aced two serves, including game point, 25-18.

The lead bounced back and forth at the beginning of the third set before Big Piney took control of the scoreboard with kills from Strong, Bailey and Banks, blocks by Greene and an ace from Strong.

WIHS overtook Big Piney at 22 points. Banks responded with a kill to put Big Piney back ahead. Greene reached up for a block and Strong tipped the ball into WIHS territory for game point, 25-23.

The fourth set turned into a cliffhanger with the game reaching a stalemate multiple times. Strong closed WIHS’s lead with an ace and Bailey spiked over a kill to tie the set at 22 point. WIHS went on to score the 3 decisive points to win, 25-22.

The game came down to the tiebreaker fifth set with WIHS scoring a narrow win, 15-10.

St. Stephens

The Lady Punchers routed St. Stephens by a significant 19-point margin in the first set. Big Piney opened the set with a 9-point run, consisting of four aces by Brandt and a block from Greene.

St. Stephens eventually found its footing but came up far short against Big Piney’s onslaught. Greene delivered two kills and an ace. Strong and Shreve both set over points. Bailey and junior Addison Losik rounded the action out with a kill apiece.

Strong aced game point, 25-6.

Big Piney sailed to victory in the second set, 25-9. Banks posted three aces and a kill. Greene served up a pair of aces and two kills. Strong set over a point, Brandt aced a serve and Losik slammed over a kill. St. Stephens struck out returning a serve by junior Kendra Willoughby.

St. Stephens put up more of a fight early in the third set before the Lady Punchers took control of the scoreboard at 11 points with a pair of aces by Banks. Big Piney remained on top with Strong acing game point, 25-14.

The Lady Punchers host Farson for Senior Night on Thursday, Oct. 19. Junior varsity plays at 4:30 p.m. with varsity hitting the court at 5 p.m.