It was a clean sweep in the final match that clenched the title of 3A 5th District Champions for the Lady Dragons as they defeated the West Side Pirates on Saturday, October 25.  The Malad team went undefeated in the tournament play, much like their conference contests this season.  Although they bested all of their opponents, it didn’t always come easily, but the challenge of each match was something the MHS team craved, a feeling that ultimately led them to their third straight district championship victory.

The Lady Dragons took on the Wendell Trojans in their first match of the 2025 district tournament.  Having easily beaten them twice in the season, one game just days before, Malad knew that the game was in their purview to win.  All they had to do was step on the court and actually do it.

In the opening game, the Trojans kept pace as the first points were played out.  That was until the Lady Dragons pushed ahead on a 5-0 run to put them up 10-4.  From there on, the MHS averaged two points for every point Wendell tacked to the scoreboard, winning the first set 25-11.

Malad clearly dominated the second set as they won 25-2.  Their two errors of the game came early on, coming up short on two Wendell hits as they bounced off the block at the net and came down on the MHS court. Up 7-2, the Lady Dragons went on an 18 point run led by Kialey Pickett at the service line.  The junior defensive specialist added 4 aces in her errors run, tallying 5 in the game of her 24 total serves. 

The near perfect set was an accomplishment for Malad as they played a disciplined game, offensively and defensively.  While the Trojans might not have posed much of a threat, the game still required the Lady Dragons to still judge the ball quickly and accurately, and then attack in the most sound way.  Regardless of the opponent, only committing two errors in a set is a great accomplishment.

Wendell rallied back in the final set of the game, even taking a two point lead 7-9.  Getting their game back in order, Malad quickly turned things around to go up 14-9.  Up 24-12 and ready to end the game, the Lady Dragons left it to the Trojans to commit a final error of the set, giving them the victory and their first win of the tournament.

Thursday, October 23, the Lady Dragons played the other undefeated team of the tournament, the West Side Pirates.  Historically, the Pirates have brought fire and heart to the game, pressuring the MHS team at every turn and Thursday’s game was no different.  West Side.  

In the first set, the two teams traded points and the lead until they were tied, 12-12.  The Pirates managed to gain a small lead that they were able to cling to throughout the game.  The game began to close out, the Lady Dragons scored 4 successive points to close in on West SIde.  With the score 23-24, Malad served which the WSHS set back over with a quick tip over the block.  Izzy Haycock dove for the ball, getting a hand under the ball for a pancake.  The ball immediately sprung up but the official signaled the end of the play, awarding the point and game one to West Side.

Now with a fire lit inside them, the MHS team came out ready to prove themselves.  Shanking off the nerves and the sluggishness of game one, the Lady Dragons stepped on the court prepared to play Malad Volleyball.

Before long, the MHS team was up 9-4.  The difference in play had to be attributed to their tough defense that played to the very end of each point.  The Pirates brought a strong attack that demanded a strong block and a quick dig by the Lady Dragons.  Time and time again, Head Coach Camie Tripp expressed the need for the Malad blockers to stop the attack at the net stressing the importance of lining up with the arm of the hitter, timing the block just right and placing their hands in the trajectory of the hit.  

Middle blocker Liv Nelson took the coaching to heart, stepping up her blocking to frustrate the West Side attack all across the net.  Before the game would end, the senior would tally, 18 touches that deflected the ball on the Malad side, 8 blocks to return the play on the Pirate side, and 4 play ending stuffs.  

On the offensive side, Jette Nelson and Brynlee Jones ate up the West Side defense, slamming the ball over, around, and through every defensive strategy they brought.  Seeing the middle hitters overdefended with a triple block, Haycock knew it would be her outside hitters that would find the greatest success.  The Lady Dragons hit the gas as they played through the set, finally claiming the win 25-9.

With renewed confidence behind them, Malad was nothing but intensity and grit as they played the final games of the match.  West Side battled back to make it a much closer game for set three, but the Lady Dragons held them off to win 25-18.

Game four began like the previous sets, both teams refocused and ready to play out each point.  The Malad held onto a quick lead but it wasn’t until midway through the set that they began to really dominate the play.  Suddenly there was nowhere that the Pirates could attack that the Lady Dragons were there to block or dig up the hit.  They began to falter at the pressure, hitting the ball in the net, shanking their passes, and bumbling the block.  Malad capitalized on the new weaknesses, making the most strategic play when they could.  The MHS team outlasted West Side to claim a second victory of the tournament as they won the final game 25-12.

West Side defeated the Declo Hornets to place them back in the championship match for a final bout.  Dissecting the weakest points of their game. The Lady Dragons honed in to make their defense nearly flawless in their final match of the tournament. 

Coming out with energy and intensity for their opening match, a distinct contrast to their previous game, Malad jumped out to an early lead, going up 15-2.  Every play, the team was ready for the West Side to gain traction and battle back like they had in the past.  But as they played out the game, it was the Lady Dragons that continued to dominate, winning the first set 25-5.

Coming out strong made a clear statement in the first game of the match made a clear statement that the MHS team continued to shout out in the way they played through the rest of the match.  Game two featured a strong start by West Side but an equally strong comeback from Malad as they climbed out of a 1-6 deficit.  Mady Vanbebber played a crucial part of that comeback, successfully hitting from the middle and outside, pushing tips out to the deep corners and slamming spikes through the block and short of the back row defense.

Malad made quick work to take the lead, but West Side held on, trailing by just a few points throughout the remainder of the game.  At game point, the Pirates battled hard to keep the Lady Dragons from their final point of the set, scrapping to keep the ball alive even after shaking it out of bounds or getting used on the block.  But the MHS team held out to win with a final hit by Jette Nelson.

The final game seemed merely a formality, West Side playing tough but also resigned to the Malad domination of the game.  Jones tacked on the final points for the Lady Dragons, bringing an attack the Pirates couldn’t contain.  Her first hit bounced off the dig so hard it shanked off the ceiling they were unable to react in time.  On her second hit, Jones blew through the block, unable to be contained.  Her third hit, earning the winning point of the game, went completely untouched by the West Side defense.

The crowd erupted as the ball hit the court, a well earned celebration for the team that played with the most focus, grit, and determination.  They did the most to adjust and react to what their opponents brought to them.  And they were the team that played with the most strength and resilience, both mentally and physically.

Thinking through their tournament games, Coach Tripp shared, “I didn’t think we’d played badly on Thursday, rather they came out and played nearly perfect.  So it was good on Thursday to see that we were able to match their energy and take the next three sets. Our defense wasn’t solid in ALL the places so that’s what we worked on in our Friday practice, and I was proud of how well everyone stepped up Saturday and came out firing. It was our turn to play nearly perfect, and it was fun to see it all come together so well! I’ll take a 25-5 win against WS all day, every day! 

Malad goes into the State tournament ranked in the #3 position, set to play Melba in their opening match.  The tournament is scheduled to be played in the Mountain America Center of Idaho Falls, the Lady Dragons playing their first match on Thursday at 5 pm.

Coach Tripp commented on the upcoming tournament saying, “We’re excited to take our momentum into the State tournament… It should be a fun weekend!”