State Volleyball: FHS takes talents to Bozeman

Plenty of action at the net.

The Flathead Bravettes (14-9, 6-6) will have all they can handle when they open the Class AA state volleyball tournament against Eastern AA No. 1 seed - and defending state champion - Billings West at 10 a.m. today.

The Golden Bears are ranked No. 1 overall in Class AA.

If the Bravettes win, they will play the winner of Bozeman and Helena High at 6 p.m. today. Should they lose, they will take on the loser of that match at 10 a.m. on Friday.

"It's pretty straight forward. They come at you pretty hard. They spread out their offense pretty evenly," said Flathead coach Leon Wilcox of the Golden Bears' offense.

West (24-4, 12-0) finished the regular season with 572 kills - a 12.7 per set average. The Bears also had 540 assists, served 70 aces, had 1,012 digs and 125 total blocks.

They were the only team in Class AA to go undefeated in conference play.

West's most efficient hitter is senior Cherina Whalen with 157 kills on 422 attempts. She averages 3.5 kills per set.

West also has Class AA's top blocker and the No. 1 setter in juniors Kylie Nielsen and Liz King. Nielsen has a total of 57 blocks in 36 sets played, while King has 497 assists in 45 sets.

"They swing away. They hit at you from everywhere. Nothing fancy, just a good high ball. That should make it a little easier for our blockers to get in position," Wilcox said.

"(West) has been there quite a few times. They've been in the finals all four years that I've been at Flathead. That counts for something, certainly," Wilcox said.

"As far as talent goes, we can keep up with them. But their experience gives them a little bit of an advantage," Wilcox said.

"We need to just bring all the intensity we can muster and a lot of focus on the net with our blocking and our offense," the coach said.

Flathead was no slouch on offense itself. It finished with 477 kills - an 11.09 average. It had 436 assists, served 106 aces, had 698 digs and 102 total blocks.

Flathead has two of the state's most efficient hitters in senior middle Danika Johnson and junior outside Hannah Sackett.

Johnson is ranked No. 4 in Class AA with 76 kills in 194 attempts. She's averaging 1.77 kills per set. Johnson is also tied for No. 4 in blocking with 47 total blocks in 43 sets.

Sackett is ranked No. 10 with 169 kills on 445 attempts.

The good news for the Bravettes is that after an injury and illness-riddled season, they finally have everyone ready to go.

"It's the healthiest we've been in a month and a half," Wilcox said.

"We've been tapering and trying to get everybody focused."

Class A

The Polson Pirates rallied from a two sets to none deficit to beat Whitefish in the championship match at last weekend's Northwestern A divisional tournament.

Both teams advance to the state tournament where Polson will face Eastern A No. 2 Laurel at 2 p.m. today. Runner-up Whitefish takes on Eastern A champion - and defending state champion - Billings Central at 10 a.m.

It's fitting that those two teams have moved on to the state tournament.

They led the Northwestern A division in nearly every team category. They were 1-2 in team assists, team hitting percentage, and team blocks. Polson was also No. 1 in digs and Whitefish was top in team serve receive.

Polson is good across the board. Offensively, the Pirates own three of the top four spots in kills - Breanne Kelley averages 4.23 kills per set, Sallie Sams is at 3.5 and Riley Kenney is at 2.47.

Kenney leads all servers with 31 aces, Sams is the division's top blocker with 36 total and setter Kayla Duford has nearly double the assists of any other setter in the division.

The Bulldogs were "young kids at the beginning of the season and they've matured tremendously," said Whitefish coach Jackie Fuller.

"This group of girls has worked so hard to get back to this state tournament. We're not settling for just getting to go. We've got to go do something over there. We're playing at our best right now and that's what you want," she said.

"What I've found out so far is they're young," Fuller said of the Billings Central Rams.

"They lost a lot last year, but they are the defending state champions," she said.

Playing the Rams should be a bit like looking in a mirror for the Bulldogs.

Billings Central has a reputation for defense and it has "powerful outside hitters. They're going with exactly what we are," Fuller said.

Whitefish has long been known for defense and it also boasts a pair of terrific outside hitters in Madison Tveidt and Heather Bailey.

"This group really took pride in (the defense). It starts in the front ... and our girls in the back are moving and pursuing," she said.

"But we've got to really make sure we are taking care of ourselves. At this point you've just got to focus in on all the little things," she said.