The Lady Dragons made their way home from the IHSAA volleyball tournament with hardware in hand, a feat the players, coaches, and fans couldn't be more proud of.  The state runner up, second place trophy might not have been the finish they were hoping for but it was a well earned honor they fought hard to win.

Malad began their journey through the state tournament against the #6 ranked and 3A reigning champion Melba Mustangs on Thursday, October 30.  Coming in as the third seed team, the Lady Dragons were favored to win but playing against the top teams in the state can bring upsets and surprises at every level of the game.

The late night game began in the MHS team’s favor.  The team came out strong, making strides with their outside attack as Jette Nelson and Brynnlee Jones stacked up half of the teams’ points in the opening set.  On the defensive end, the Lady Dragons held the Mustangs to only 11 points, covering the court well as they successfully dug 83% of the attacks of the first set, led by Paityn Ward with 15.

Melba came out in game two to battle back, but not enough to win out, Malad up 25-23 to end the game.  But as the two teams played out game three, the Mustangs brought a new look to their attack that challenged the MHS team.  Utilizing a quick set across a number of hits, Melba surprised the Lady Dragons with a different tempo to the game, that they struggled to block and dig.  This new attack led the Mustangs to a set three victory, 25-19.

Izzy Haycock getting the block against the Archers in the championship match.

Malad worked to adjust to the new look of the Melba offense as they played through set four but still couldn’t out game their offense.  The Lady Dragons couldn’t keep up with the Mustangs as they closed out the game, losing 22-25.  With two sets to each team, a final game to 15 finished out the match.  Melba jumped to an early lead, getting up 5-1, a lead that the Malad struggled to shake off despite their solid play.  The Lady Dragons inched their way closer but came up short as they lost 12-15.

Losing their opening match, Malad was destined to the long road to the championship game.  Friday morning the Lady Dragons took on the Firth Cougars, making quick work of the match as they swept them in three games, 25-20 / 25-9 / 25-16.  Malad dominated the game earning most of their points by their own merits rather than due to Firth’s errors.

Their morning win led to an evening match with the Priest River Spartans.  The Spartans were unprepared for the Lady Dragons and their gritty, persistent play.  Leading in every set, Malad won 3 sets to 0, going 25-15 / 25-18 / 25-21.  Surviving through Friday’s games, the Lady Dragons knew the next day would be daunting but still a challenge worth suiting up for.

The first opponent of Saturday, November 1 was Nampa Christian a scrappy team that contended well with Malad but in the end couldn’t keep pace.  Despite trading the lead back and forth over the three set game, it was the Lady Dragons that claimed the win as they went 25-20 / 25-17 / 25-20.

With another win to their record, Malad was scheduled to play in the semi-final game against the loser of the game featuring The Ambrose School and Melba.  Playing out just as the Lady Dragons had hoped, The Ambrose School won the match, landing them in the championship game and pitting Melba against Malad.

The rematch was meaningful for the Lady Dragons, not only for redemption they wanted after their previous loss but also for championship loss they suffered to the Mustangs in 2024.  Despite stepping onto the court with a fire under them, it was Melba that took the lead to begin the opening set.  But Malad wasn’t worried as they slowly began to chip away at the small lead, eventually tying their score and inched ahead.  Having studied their previous game and finding a way to adjust, the back row attacks and quick set hits that had been difficult to counter were suddenly easy to defend.  In turn, the Lady Dragons relentlessly pounded the ball across the net as Jones, Jette Nelson, Liv Nelson, and Mady Vanbebber combined for 49 kills throughout the game.  

Prepared to go the long haul of five games with the Mustangs, the Lady Dragons dominated set after set, sweeping Melba in just three games.  Up just one point in the third set, Jones passed up the serve before transitioning to the outside to attack.  Swinging strong, she hit the ball into the block and sent it out of bounds on the Mustangs.  Izzy Haycock went to the line to serve, placing the ball just inside the back line for an ace to put them up 22-19.  

The Lady Dragons continued to push points, after receiving an awkward attack from the Mustangs, Malad set up a trio ending with middle hitter Vanbebber nailing the corner hit away from any Melba defenders.  It was pure grit and scrap that earned Malad their next point, Haycock streaking across the court to keep the ball alive, eventually resulting in a shanked pass from the Mustangs.  Now at matchpoint, Haycock sailed over a final serve that Melba returned with a quick set middle tip but Vanbebber was ready to with the block, reaching out to simply drop the ball to the ground to just as suddenly end the game.

Head Coach Camie Tripp later shared, “I wish we could have back that first game against Melba, but we made the adjustments we needed to make, and wow! Beating them in the semis felt AMAZING! That’s been a long time coming and we wanted that one BAD, so it was an emotional high for sure.” 

Exhausted, worn out, and still filled with drive, the Lady Dragons stepped to the court just a few hours later to play in the championship match against The Ambrose School.  Malad had previously played the Archers in a midseason tournament that they honestly admit that they played poorly in.  Head Coach Camie Tripp said then with a chuckle, “Well at least Ambrose thinks we play poorly and we will be able to surprise them at state.”

Middle Hitter Liv Nelson attacking around the blocker.

As the two teams jumped into the first set, the Archers took control of the game, the Lady Dragons unable to counter their strategic play.  It was beginning to look like Ambrose was just at a different level than Malad as they won the first set 25-11.  The MHS team settled into the game as they played through set two, pushing the Archers to extra points, 24-26.

Moving into game three, the Lady Dragons were unsure how things would play out.  They could easily accept that Ambrose was a better team and let them win, but instead they dug deep and literally dug their way out to win the third set of the game, 25-23.  Now not only filled with hope, but confidence that they could actually win against Ambrose, Malad continued to battle back.  The two teams played within just 2-3 points of one another through the game, the lead trading back and forth.

Jones finished a long rally with a deep line hit, the ball landing uncontested to put them up 23-21.  But then Ambrose tacked on two quick points, Malad calling a time out to refocus and rejuvenate at the close of the game.  Vanbebber came out to hit a hit across an unpassable spike, shanking across the Ambrose court to put them at game point.  

The Archers sent over a strong attack, Liv Nelson getting the soft block that went sailing out of bounds.  Haycock dove after the ball, popping it up and keeping it alive.  Ward followed, sending the ball back onto the court and into play, finding Jones to pass the ball over.  Ambrose set up another attack but faltered, hitting the ball into the net and awarding Malad the final point of the game.

With two sets to both teams, Malad and Ambrose were sentenced to a tie breaking fifth game.  Playing on reserves, the Lady Dragons began where they left off.  But suddenly, they fell into a slump and The Ambrose School was suddenly ahead 13-7, a highly controversial call amidst the challenging game play.  And just as suddenly, they turned up the heat and began to climb out of their deficit.  

Vanbebber dominated at the net, both offensively and defensively as she had 4 crucial kills and 3 big blocks to bring them back into the game.  Jette Nelson battled from the outside with a number of hits to tie the game at 14, and again at 15. But then the Archers managed a final surge, gaining two quick points put them up 17-15 to finish the game and claim the title.

The loss was heartbreaking but also a relief for the Lady Dragons that were exhausted and drained.  The final game of the match truly demonstrated their courage, tenacity, and determination, the culmination of everything they worked for and accomplished. 

Coach Tripp said, “The quick turnaround to play Ambrose was tough, and the score of the first set shows it, but dang, we bounced back strong and nearly took that second set, then to get the third and fourth ones was soo soo impressive! 

“That was our third match of the day and they gave it their ALLL!! Then to battle back from a terrible call and being down 13-7!! and to tie it up at 15-15 shows what these girls are made of! Heart and grit!! I was so proud of them. We were so dang close, so defeat definitely stings, but I can’t tell you how proud I was to be their coach. They balled out! I love them!”

Senior setter Izzy Haycock setting up the play Shaun Nampa Christian.