'This play, next play'

Team-ness.

It's not in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Some might say it's not even a word.

But hang out around members of the Stillwater Christian volleyball team for a few minutes and you will hear it - more than a few times.

‘Team-ness' - by definition of Stillwater coach Dave Shawback - is all the unifying qualities of a team lumped together.

Those qualities include hard work, commitment and the ability to sacrifice oneself for others.

"That's not easy. None of it is easy. But those are the things we strive for," Shawback said.

"To be on a team, to belong to a team has got to be one of the greatest feelings ever," he said.

It's clear the Cougars - defending Montana Christian Athletic Association state champions - have more than a passing notion of what ‘team-ness' means.

They finished the 2010 regular season Tuesday at 26-0. Among those were two wins against Class AA non-varsity teams, three over Class A varsity, seven over Class B varsity teams, one over a Class C varsity squad and two victories over out-of-state varsity teams.

"We have to communicate really well. We have to really know each other and we have to fill in each other's strengths and weaknesses," explains sophomore setter Morgan Paolini.

Volleyball is a mental game, Shawback said. All aspects have to really click for success.

"If all passes were awesome, then all sets could be awesome ... then the emphasis is on the hitter," the coach said.

"All the girls are just really close-knit," agreed senior outside hitter Julia Smith. "I really enjoy the team aspect, the having to work together. All throughout the years, we've meshed more and more," she said.

"We really try to encourage each other - and I think we're super close," Paolini agreed.

The Cougars will put their ‘teamness' - and that undefeated record - on the line beginning today as they host the Montana Christian Athletic Association state volleyball tournament.

Being undefeated is not something the Cougars had as a preseason goal.

"It's nice. But it hasn't been our focus," Smith said.

Instead, they've focused on friendship and playing the game.

"We really pushed all season to focus on ‘this play, next play,'" Shawback said.

"It's more about who I played with, not necessarily what I did ... And I think we just want to be undefeated once we get to the state tournament," he smiled.

The Stillwater team is comprised of girls from Kalispell, Bigfork, Whitefish and the West Valley area.

It's been quite a journey for Stillwater Christian over the past few years.

One of the most memorable moments of the 2010 season may have come before a single serve had been struck.

It was the day Shawback handed out the regular-season schedule.

The players could barely wait to leave the meeting.

"Everyone was talking about it. Everyone was saying ‘did you see who we are playing?" Paolini said.

This is the first year Stillwater has been able to schedule so many local teams with such long histories of success - Whitefish (five Class A state titles since 2001), Eureka and Bigfork (perennial Western B contenders) and Columbia Falls.

"I just want as tough a schedule as I can get, especially non-conference, to prepare us for state," Shawback said.

"I think it's an honor. It's really cool to be able to go up against better competition and really push yourself," Paolini said.

It's taken some time to get that aggressive schedule. Until a few years ago, Stillwater was playing some B and a lot of C schools.

Whitefish coach Jackie Fuller invited the Cougars to play at the annual Whitefish Starter Tournament a couple of years ago.

"That showed us what level we need to play at," Shawback said.

"As a coach, you just want the best competition for your team. We are thankful for that opportunity," he added.

The other schools also saw that "‘these guys can play some good volleyball,'" the coach said.

"(The game) is a lot quicker. It almost pushes you to play at your highest level," Smith said.

Asked if they might prefer to have had a public school athletic experience, both Smith and Paolini made it very clear they are pleased with their choice of school.

"The parents are great - big supporters of the volleyball team, the Christian atmosphere. We have athletes who could go somewhere and compete and play ... but I'm really happy I have them," Shawback smiled.

Smith said her mother gave her the choice of attending Stillwater or public school.

"I really like the people, the teachers," she said.

"I always thought (going to Stillwater) would be cool. The atmosphere, the tightness we have throughout the whole school, our coaches. I just get encouraged every day in a Christian atmosphere," she said.

"We're just really blessed as a team to have this," Paolini agreed.

"I think bottom line ... I love this team and my hope for them is they love each other," Shawback said.

Later on in life when these girls remember this team, "it will more about who I played with, not necessarily about what I did. You just remember the plays and the players," he added.