Volleyball is a sport of inches, or less. A ball just grazes the sideline, or doesn’t; a hit deflects off outstretched fingertips, dropping just out of reach.
And last weekend, the Jefferson High volleyball squad fell just short of capping a terrific season with a trophy at the Class B state tournament in Bozeman — settling instead for fourth place and the only somewhat satisfying knowledge that they came that close amid a very tough field.
The Panthers opened play on Thursday against Fairfield, the top seed from the North Division. Jefferson took the first set easily, 25-11, but Fairfield went up 9-4 to start the second. The Panthers came back to tie at 11, Fairfield took the lead at 20-17 lead, and the Panthers rebounded again to tie the score at 24. But Fairfield finally closed out the set, 28-26.
