Volleyball heads into postseason round

On paper, tonight's Western AA playoff volleyball match is pretty much all Flathead.

The Bravettes (14-9, 6-6) travel to Helena for a 7 p.m. playoff match at Helena Capital (10-12, 6-6). Winner advances to next weekend's Class AA state volleyball tournament at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman - and will take on Eastern AA No. 1 seed Billings West at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Flathead is ahead of Helena Capital in nearly every statistical category. Capital does have 23 more kills on the season than Flathead - but it has also played five more sets. Flathead has 11.09 kills per set to 10.4 per set for Capital. The Bravettes also come out on top on assists - 436 to 414, aces 106-84 and total blocks 102 to 74. Capital has an 801 to 698 edge in digs.

"On paper, they can't match up with us, but it comes down to our head game," said Flathead coach Leon Wilcox.

The Bravettes have swept Capital twice this season - at Capital and at the Missoula Tournament. The black mark for the Bravettes, though, was on Oct. 21 at home when they fell in four sets to the Bruins.

"The ‘Dig Pink' night. We did not come out prepared," the coach said.

Capital "plays hard. We have to beat their intensity and put all our strengths out there.

"But I'm pretty confident my girls are ready. I kind of get that sense. They're eager, they're ready and they want to make their season last another week," he said.

"We've had a great week of practice and we're just trying to get them confident, mentally prepared and focused."

For those who want to watch volleyball, but don't want to make the trip to Helena - the Northwestern A Divisional begins at 11 a.m. today at Columbia Falls High School.

Ticket prices are $7 per day for adults, $5 per day for students. All-session adult passes are $12 and all-session student passes are $8. No activity tickets are honored for postseason play.

The top two teams advance to next week's Class A state tournament, also at the Fieldhouse in Bozeman.

First match of the day pairs Columbia Falls (0-12, 0-8) and Libby (5-7, 2-6). At 1 p.m., Ronan (5-10, 4-4) takes on Whitefish (8-4, 6-2). Polson (12-1, 8-0) plays the winner of Columbia Falls-Libby at 3 p.m. and the loser of Columbia Falls-Libby takes on the loser of Whitefish-Ronan at 5 p.m. The last match of the day pairs the afternoon's winners. The championship is slated for 4 p.m. Saturday.

"We're pretty excited. We're very ready. We worked really hard this week, really focused on a lot of our weaknesses, which include mental toughness," said Polson head coach Jan Toth.

The Pirates will be looking to make their third straight trip to the state tournament - they went as the second place team last year and won the division in 2008.

"This is the most prepared I've ever seen my girls. It's been really fun to watch them - they're just a whole different team, how focused they are and how ready," she said.

The Pirates have Riley Kenney (shoulder injury) back for the weekend - at least intermittently.

"That just makes us well-rounded in all areas," the coach said.

As for the rest of the field ... "I think all the teams should be peaking. All the teams have their sights set on the same thing we do. And in volleyball, there can be upsets. The team that comes ready to play is definitely going to represent our conference at the state tournament.

"I think Whitefish is always tough. Whitefish has a spark that no other team brings. (The Bulldogs) have a never-say-die attitude and their intensity alone can mentally take teams out of their game," Toth said.

Host coach Addy Connelly is looking forward to the weekend.

"We've definitely had the best week of practice that we've had all year. It's the first time I've really seen (the Wildkats) be competitive with each other. I was excited about that," she smiled.

"It's pretty exciting to have my girls in their own beds. It is comfortable. And the support of our home crowd is nice as well - having the kids in the stands and the parents," she said.

As for the tournament, top-seeded Polson is the definite favorite.

"They're a strong team. They're well-coached and they have some good athletes, but they've been beaten this year, too," Connelly said of the Pirates.

And after Polson, the field could be wide open.

"We've been talking a lot in that regard," the coach said of her own team. "I hope (the Wildcats) really believe it and get after it," she added.

As for the work involved of putting on a tournament, Connelly said she hasn't had to deal with any of that.

"I've got a good athletic director who is stepping in and taking care of everything. He's been generous and has let me do my job, so that's been really nice."

Northwestern A Divisional

At Columbia Falls High School

Today's Matches

11 a.m. - Columbia Falls (0-12, 0-8) vs. Libby (5-7, 2-6)

1 p.m. - Ronan (5-10, 4-4) vs. Whitefish (8-4, 6-2).

3 p.m. - Polson (12-1, 8-0) vs. Columbia Falls-Libby winner.

5 p.m. - Columbia Falls-Libby loser vs. Ronan-Whitefish loser.

7 p.m. - Polson-Columbia Falls-Libby winner vs. Ronan-Whitefish winner.

Saturday's Matches

Noon and 2 p.m. - Loser out

4 p.m. - Championship