The Star Valley Lady Braves volleyball team made their first of many trips to the Oil City this past weekend for the Casper Invitational. Matches were played at the Ford Wyoming Center, the site of the annual Wyoming State Volleyball championships. Prior to that tournament, Star Valley faced off against the top team in 4A, the Kelly Walsh Trojans in a conference match. 

“We started off going to Kelly Walsh on Thursday night because we worked it so we didn’t have a match during Homecoming week so we played them the night before the tournament,” said head coach Kalin Schwab. “They are really good. They had big girls who played all over the place and a really big student section. We got beat in three sets, but it was a good learning experience.”

The tournament began on Friday against a familiar foe. 

“We had a rematch with Cheyenne Central who was our first loss of the season,” Schwab continued. “They beat us in Cheyenne but this time we got them in three.” 

Star Valley took the first set with the Indians winning the second before the Lady Braves slammed the door in a 15-3 final set. “Our girls had had enough,” Schwab said of the third set. The Lady Braves then swept past the Rawlins Outlaws in two sets before facing the #2 Laramie Plainsmen and reigning Wyoming Gatorade Player of the year, Tessa Dodd. “She’s 6’ 4”; committed to Kansas; she’s really good,” Schwab said. “We competed pretty well with them all things considered.”

Laramie took the match 2-0 but the wins over Central and Rawlins put Star Valley into the Gold bracket for Saturday’s tournament. Their first foe for a new day was again a familiar one. 

“Our first game was against Kelly Walsh which was interesting because we just saw them 36 hours before,” Schwab added. “But our girls now knew what we could bring. We won the first set and played them super aggressively but then lost the next two but hey were close. They are probably the best team in 4A but we know we can push them and could get them if we played well.”

The Lady Braves wrapped the weekend on a high note with a three-set victory over Natrona County.  The rankings proved to be accurate for the weekend as Kelly Walsh defeated Laramie 2-1 in the championship. 

• Pink Night

The Lady Braves host Pink Night on Wednesday evening against Preston High School with a silent auction and bake sale. Proceeds from the event will go to Susan Loveland, a teacher at Star Valley Middle School who is battling cancer. The annual fundraiser for area residents and cancer awareness holds a special place in Schwab’s heart as well as many others. 

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“It’s an important night for me and for us,” he said. “I lost my aunt Terry and my aunt Gloria. The girls are starting to understand how important it is. We’re talking to the girls about how you are playing for something bigger than yourself and for somebody else.”

The matches for the evening will be slightly later than a typical set for SVHS with the Preston needing to wait until the end of their school day to depart for Afton. The matches are at 5, 6 and 7:30 p.m. “Things are a little later so I hope that frees people up to show show up and bid on some items and wear some pink. I hope people show up and support it. Our girls are excited about it and our seniors have put in a lot of work to make it happen.”

Star Valley Scores

Thursday: 

Lost at #1 Kelly Walsh (3-0) (19-25, 16-25, 13-25)

Friday (At Casper Invitational) 

Won vs Cheyenne Central (2-1)(25-18, 22-25, 15-3)

Won vs Rawlins (2-0)(25-19, 25-14)

Lost vs #2 Laramie (2-0)(25-12, 25-18)

Saturday (Gold Bracket)

Lost vs #1 Kelly Wals (2-1) (25-22, 18-25, 8-15)

Won vs Natrona County (2-1) (22-25, 25-15,15-6)