Garrison battles through District 8 Tournament
The Garrison Troopers’ 2025 volleyball season came to a hard-fought close at the Division B, District 8 Tournament in Underwood, where determination, teamwork, and steady improvement defined their run.
While the Troopers didn’t advance to the Region 4 Tournament, the grit and growth they displayed throughout the week, and all season long, left their coach and community proud of how far the team has come.
As the fifth seed, Garrison opened tournament play on Thursday, October 30, in a quarterfinal matchup against the fourth-seeded Washburn Cardinals.
Both teams came in familiar with one another, and the early sets showed just how evenly matched they were.
The Cardinals took the first two sets 25-18 and 25-15, capitalizing on several Trooper communication lapses.
In the third set, Garrison nearly pulled off a comeback, pushing Washburn to extra points before ultimately falling 28-26 in a tight finish.
Head Coach Kerri Melby said the opening-round loss came down to communication and timing.
“In our opening match against Washburn, we had too many major communication errors,” Melby said. “By the time things started clicking again, we had to fight back from a large deficit and almost took set three.”
The loss dropped Garrison into the consolation bracket, where they faced Standing Rock Community on Friday, October 31.