Wolfpack, Bravettes ready to roll at AA state volleyball

The Glacier and Flathead volleyball teams both have the look of state title contenders after finishing first and second, respectively, in the Western AA conference.

Glacier (21-3) rolled through conference play unbeaten while Flathead (17-10) caught fire down the stretch with five consecutive victories, but both Kalispell schools will face stiff competition in the double-elimination tournament, which runs today through Saturday at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman.

Defending Class AA state champion Billings Senior (23-1) returns first-team all-state setter Jace Henderson, 6-foot-3 middle blocker Taylor Mims and hard-swinging 6-1 outside hitter Andrea Bowers from last year’s title-winning team. Billings Skyview (22-4) has a veteran setter in senior Breeanna Mason and one of Eastern AA’s top hitters in her twin sister Aubree. Even Bozeman (15-6), the Eastern AA’s third seed, has a lot going for it besides playing at home.

“You’ve got to put together three strong days against the best competition in the state,” Glacier coach Christy Harkins said. “Keep that focus going. I think it just comes down to a lot of grit and determination.”

Harkins and Flathead coach Leon Wilcox both called Billings Senior the favorite, but the defending champs aren’t invincible. The Broncs lost a conference match against Skyview and split a pair of sets against Flathead in pool play at the Electric City Invitational in September.

“There’s teams that have taken them close,” Wilcox said of Senior. “We split with them in the tournament at the beginning of the season, so they’re not unbeatable, but they’re definitely the favorite.”

Glacier locked up the Western AA title with a historic season. The Wolfpack went 12-0 in conference for the first time in school history and is aiming to improve on its third place finish at the state tournament in 2010. As the conference champion, Glacier by-passed last week’s playoff qualifiers and spent the week fine-tuning its skills in preparation for the state tournament.

“We took it as an opportunity to refresh some skills,” Harkins said. “Really break down some things for individuals.

“I honestly thought we got a lot better at practice this week. I saw some things that we hadn’t done earlier in the season. I think we’ve definitely got more in us and this week will challenge us to see if we do or not.”

If Glacier has improved on its regular season form, it’s frightening prospect for the opposition. The Wolfpack boast one of the state’s most diverse offenses with a deep rotation of hitters and savvy setter in junior Hannah Liss. Six-foot-1 Cassi Hashley, 6-0 Katie Wiley and 6-0 Tessa Krueger are all among the conference leaders in kills per set, 6-0 Brielle Bumgarner puts up a big block in the middle and 5-11 Hannah Atlee is an experienced option at outside hitter. That depth has caused problems for some of the best teams in the state this season.

“They had a lot of hitters coming from a lot of different directions,” Wilcox told the Daily Inter Lake after Glacier swept Flathead on Sept. 24. “Their setter did a very good job of spreading the ball around, throwing our middles off, so we didn’t get a lot of opportunities to block.”

Krueger missed the last two games of the regular season with a foot injury, but Harkins said she’s “good to go” for the state tournament.

Glacier’s first round opponent is Great Falls High (14-11), which earned the Eastern AA’s fourth seed with a playoff victory over Butte. Glacier and Great Falls are well-acquainted after several meetings this season, including a nonconference match on Aug. 31 and tournament clashes at the Electric City and Missoula Invitationals.

Glacier has won all nine sets between two teams this season, but Harkins said she isn’t taking the Bison lightly.

“They have the Perkins twins (seniors Ainsley and Alissa) who are good athletes playing middle and outside,” Harkins said. “I’ve always been impressed with Great Falls’ defense. I think they really hustle and work hard, and I think we’re going to have to make sure we’re aggressive and continue to be aggressive throughout the whole match.”

Glacier and Great Falls play at 10 a.m. The winner will play the winner between Helena High (15-8) and Skyview at 6 p.m.

After an uneven start, Flathead took off its second time through the conference schedule. The Bravettes finished with seven wins in their last eight conference games, the only loss being a tough five-setter against Glacier, and dominated their playoff game against Missoula Big Sky.

“I think they look ready,” Wilcox said. “They feel ready. I think they’re focused and we’re going to have to play our best volleyball. It’s always toughest at state. Everybody’s playing for a trophy, so we’ve just got to make sure that we’re playing our best ball of the season.”

Wilcox said setter Jessica Simmons is ready to go after missing last week’s playoff game with a shoulder injury.

Six-foot middle hitter Timi Severson finished the regular season leading Western AA in attack efficiency and kills per set while 5-8 outside hitter Emma Andrews was second in kills per set, but Flathead’s greatest strength might be its back row. Senior libero Iris Matulevich was a first-team all-state selection a year ago and senior defensive specialists Nouf Rashoodi and Ashli Petek give the Bravettes veteran defensive depth.

“It’s been vital to our recent success,” Wilcox said of his team’s back row. “I think we’ve got one of the best, if not the best, back row in the state. Nothing happens without them. If we’re not getting the ball to our setter, we have no offense, so I think it’s pretty critical. The last two matches we’ve given up a combined two aces and the passing was very solid.”

Flathead will play Bozeman in the first round at 4 p.m. The two teams did not meet in the regular season.

“They’re supposed to be pretty scrappy defensively,” Wilcox said of Bozeman. “They’ve got one big outside hitter that’s a threat.”

The winner will play the winner between Billings Senior and Missoula Sentinel (9-13) at 8 p.m.

Flathead finished second at last year’s state tournament with a 3-2 record. Both losses were to Billings Senior. Glacier went 1-2 and did not place.

Class AA State Volleyball Tournament

At Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman

Thursday

First round

10 a.m. — Glacier vs. Great Falls

Noon — Helena vs. Billings Skyview

2 p.m. — Billings Senior vs. Missoula Sentinel

4 p.m. — Bozeman vs. Flathead

Second round

6 p.m. — Glacier-Great Falls winner vs. Helena-Billings Skyview winner

8 p.m. — Billings Senior-Missoula Sentinel winner vs. Bozeman-Flathead winner