SEE GAME PHOTOS

Photo Credit: Ashley Ozburn

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Idaho high school volleyball season is entering district-tournament time, with state championships right around the corner for the annual Halloween special. Consistency is key, as teams work their way through this week to see who will be crowned district champs. 

This week, we want to highlight two teams on the RISE:

Idaho Falls High School

Idaho Falls has the defense, setting and scoring experience to make a serious postseason run. Leah Thomas, Brittini Livingston and Caroline Rolston are key players for the Tigers, utilizing their experience and grit to elevate their team. 

Thomas was a first-team All-State selection and earned national recognition as Idaho's ACVA/MaxPreps Player of the Week in August after recording 82 kills at the Peg Peterson tournament. Thomas is heading to Utah State to continue her career and excels in three different areas.

Attacking: Her kills-per-set average indicates that she is a major scoring option. 

Efficiency: A .341 hitting percentage is a strong mark for a high-school hitter. 

Versatility: She is listed as an outside hitter and setter on the roster, plays where she is needed and utilizes her ball control no matter the position. 

Thomas leads Idaho Falls in kills per set and hitting percentage. Livingston leads the offense for the Tigers and has a huge impact by getting to every ball and bettering the second ball. Rolston, meanwhile, is a key back-row player. Her defensive work helps Idaho Falls persevere through long rallies and turn opponents' attacks into scoring opportunities.
 

Butte County High School 

Butte County has a strong case as a 2A state contender, with Cambree Lyon leading the offense and Siri and Autumn Gamett the defense. Its wins over Valley and Rockland are encouraging as they head into district play. 

Cambree Lyon: 

Cambree is a major offensive weapon for Butte County. Her 5.3 kills per set and ability to contribute from the service line make her one of the Pirates' key players in their 2A postseason push. Lyon has a court presence that helps her find ways to score and be impactful whether she is in the back or front row. 

Autumn Gamett:

Autumn excels in three areas.

Two-way contributor: Her 73 kills and 108 digs show big contributions on both offense and defense.

Hitting efficiency: Her .216 hitting percentage leads the team in efficient placement. 

Experienced senior: As a senior, she is part of the experienced core supporting Butte County’s 2A postseason push. 

Siri Gamett:

As the team's libero, Siri is responsible for digging hard-driven balls and helping the team control serve/receive. Her five digs per set show how important she is to Butte County's defense. Siri gives the effort on every ball. 

Madi Gamett:

Madi is the setter, leading the team in assists and when running a 5-1, places the ball even when out of system. She is another senior on the roster who will be important in the team’s postseason experience and leadership.

Taylee Roberts:

Taylee is a key front-row contributor for Butte County as well, alongside outside hitter Cambree Lyon. Taylee is a strong middle blocker. She finds her way to the ball offensively to score and has excellent tempo while hitting and defensively to score with blocks. 

Some teams are on the rise at the right time as district play will be over soon.  There is lots of competitive action as we enter the post season. It will be interesting to see all the district champs and how the rankings will shake out for the play in games to follow. 

Exciting times!!! Good luck to all!!!