1 week Ago By DANIEL SHEPARD406 MT Sports
HELENA — The volleyball – like a flamethrower popping the catcher's mitt – sounds different hitting the ground or a would-be defender's arms off Birdie Heuiser's right hand. Friday night, in a crowded and lively Jungle, Heuiser's final regular-season crosstown kill – blocked out of bounds by Helena Capital – echoed through the gymnasium like a Nolan Ryan heater pounding leather. "It was so surreal," a barely composed Heuiser said post game.
"I was just soaking it in, realizing it was my last crosstown point." Heuiser's heroics completed Helena High's 3-1 (18-25, 25-9, 25-22, 25-16) comeback, securing the Bengals' 10th-straight crosstown victory and an undefeated legacy for the youngest Heuiser sister. Her 28 kills was one shy of tying the Bengals' all-time single-game record (29), set by Monica Grimsrud in 2010.
The perfect ending to a perfect crosstown career. "This is such a fun sport and I'm playing with my best friends," Heuiser said. "Last crosstown, it's a great feeling.
Happy tears...
"Volleyball has brought together so many people for me. Especially with crosstown, the environment is super emotional." "She's just such an awesome kid," Bengals head coach Lindsey Day said.
"I'm kinda starting to see the season come to an end and I just want this group of girls to embrace this last little push we have together." Four years ago, nearly to the day, Paige and Dani Bartsch and Audrey Hofer stormed past Helena High for the Bruins' 64th consecutive victory. A streak that would extend to state-record 71 matches and a third-straight Class AA state title was snapped the following August by Billings Senior.
That September, Helena High's active crosstown win streak began. "It just shows the commitment of what the girls are doing, not just during the season but in the off-season," Day said. "They put in a lot of time to be great volleyball players and it helps us win games.
" Capital (0-21, 0-10 Western AA) thoroughly controlled Friday night's first set, and after being dominated in the second, rallied from down seven to make the third set's conclusion interesting. Senior Emiley Ereth paced a trio of Bruins (McKenzy Heppner, 11; Kate Drynan, 10) with double-digit digs. Drynan tallied a team-best 13 assists, and juniors Kaelyn Saari and Chloe LaFromboise combined for 14 kills.
Drynan added an ace. LaFromboise contributed a block. "They were blocking well and digging up everything," Day said of Capital.
"I told [my team] going into the second set – we knew coming in composure was gonna be huge...
"We had to keep it together in that big moment. We had to have a mental reset, and I was proud of them for doing that." Helena High (11-10, 7-3 Western AA) broke a 14-14 tie in a critical third set with seven straight points.
Junior Ella McCarthy levied a kill and a block during that run, while Heuiser added one of the Bengals' eight aces. McCarthy finished with a match-best 2.5 blocks, and sophomore Dakota Lieberg compiled three aces and 26 digs.
Senior Kiran Dusko totaled 43 assists. Senior Morgan Koch (8) and sophomore Brooklyn Smith (6) combined for 14 kills. Lauryn Lieberg, the only freshman in Day's regular rotation, made a number of timely contributions in what was her first career regular-season crosstown sweep.
"Anything can happen [in] crosstown," Lieberg said. "I'm so happy that my team worked together and pulled it together. It's so happy, it's so fun.
I love playing with these people." "She's a competitor, a feisty competitor," Day said. "As a team player, she'll do whatever it takes to win.
She fits right in with the dynamics of the team, and that's huge...
Every week she gets a little better." Heuiser was in tears exiting Helena High's post game locker room, but there were no shortage of hugs to be had from adoring fans and classmates, many carrying some version of an "I love Birdie" sign. One young fan even asked for Heuiser's autograph, which she got scrolled on a photo of the Bengals senior.
"We have such a big impact on girls," Heuiser said. "It's wonderful to see that. All the little girls are watching, that's what keeps me going.
" "Birdie is such a good player," Lieberg said. "I look up to her and I aspire to be just like her when I'm a senior..
. "She's such a great teammate. She really encourages us to be better every single day.
I wanna be as strong as her as a player." In four regular-season games, plus a state tournament journey, the Heuiser legacy – one that in the last half-decade spanned three sisters – will be completed. A family known for Bengals volleyball, it's fitting the youngest hammered the final crosstown exclamation mark before all three become first-time teammates next season at Carroll College.
"I'm happy I get to be the one to carry on the legacy," Heuiser said. "I'm happy I get to follow in my sisters' footsteps. I'm very blessed and very thankful for that.
" Email Daniel Shepard at Daniel. and find him on X/Twitter @IR_DanielS..
