Lady Tigers claw their way through at Kaycee Tournament

The Northwest Conference team of Burlington’s Lady Huskies are undefeated in their conference this season with a record of 7-0, and the Encampment Lady Tigers (3-3) got a taste of going up against this team Oct. 12 at the Kaycee Tournament.

The Lady Tigers took a few licks from the Huskies, but the opposing team had to do it in three sets. The Lady Tigers fell in the first set 18-25, but came back to beat the Lady Huskies in the second set 25-20. The third set ended with a score of 10-15.

The Huskies are a team that will most likely go on to state after Regionals Nov. 1 and 2, and the Tigers have proven they can go up against the team and score well.

“We had great competition in Kaycee at the tournament,” said Head Coach Janice Peterson. “Beating Riverside was a big win for us as they have a few powerful hitters and we were able to play smart at the net and did really well defensively. It was a great confidence booster, as well.”

The tournament started Friday morning with the Lady Tigers against the Arvada/Clearmont Lady Panthers (1-4). This Northeast Conference team was in the Encampment Tournament at the beginning of the volleyball season and the Lady Tigers came out on top then.

The Lady Tigers proved themselves again Friday morning by defeating the Panthers 25-15 in the first set. The second set was a nailbiter and the Tigers fell by one point 24-25. Forced into a third set to break the tie, the Tigers came out on top 15-9.

The Dubois Lady Rams (3-2), another Northwest Conference team overcame the Lady Tigers Friday afternoon in the first set 18-25. The Lady Tigers came back with two wins 25-22 and 15-13 proving once again they can roar back to life when it counts.

The Niobrara County Lady Tigers (Lusk), a rival in the Southwest Conference tore through the Encampment Lady Tigers defense. This is a team they will meet up with at the regional and they have a tough time getting past Lusk which is third in the Southeast Conference (3-1) Lusk has made the Lady Tigers earn every point. Lusk beat the Tigers 17-25 and 21-25, which was not a bad loss considering it was the fourth match of the day for both teams.

Following the match against the Burlington Huskies, the Lady Tigers won against Basin’s Riverside Lady Rebels (4-1) in two out of three sets 22-25, 25-25, 15-9 proving they can pounce back after a loss.

The Lady Tigers played Lusk again late Saturday afternoon and did a little better against Lusk, but still lost 21-25, 21-25.

“As a team, we pushed through some adversity and came back together which will also propel us into being more competitive,” said Peterson. “This week we face Farson and Cokeville with each team having different strengths. Both games will be battles, but our girls are ready to compete and continue working toward earning a spot at the regional and state level.”

Tuesday the Lady Tigers went up against Hanna-Elk Mountain-Medicine Bow Lady Miners (1-8), a Southeast Conference team. Details of the game will appear in the October 24 edition of the Saratoga Sun. Friday, October 18, the Lady Tigers host the Farson-Eden Lady Pronghorns (1-5) at 6 p.m. Saturday, October 19, the Lady Tigers host the Cokeville Lady Panthers (4-1) at 11 a.m.

Valley rivals will match up in Encampment October 22 at 5 p.m. against the Saratoga’s Lady Panthers (2-3). All three teams are Southwest Conference foes.

On October 24, the Lady Tigers will finish up their regular season in Rock River against the Lady Longhorns (1-4) at 5 p.m. Rock River is in the Southeast Conference Division.

The Lady Tigers will have one week to prepare for the Class 1A Regionals in Lander November 1 and 2 where the top 8 teams in the northwest and southwest conference will compete for their chance to compete at state. The team will need to win against Farson-Eden and Saratoga or Cokeville to secure a spot in regionals.