VOLLEYBALL: Crosstown a last chance to prove a point

Thursday’s crosstown volleyball game will serve as one last chance for both Flathead and Glacier to fix any issues before the postseason.

For Glacier (8-3 conference, 16-8 overall), this is the last game before the state tournament, having already clinched the Western conference’s second seed into the bracket. Flathead (2-8, 3-16) has another game left in its regular season, against top-ranked Missoula Sentinel, but could use the boost heading into at least one play-in game next week.

Glacier lost its most recent game, a four-set match against Sentinel on Tuesday, but had won four straight in conference before that this month to lock up the second seed. Flathead rides a three-match losing streak, last beating Missoula Big Sky in conference on Oct. 4.

Glacier won the first meeting of the season, 20-25, 26-24, 25-20, 25-20, at Flathead, with senior hitter Nikki Krueger piling up 23 kills in the victory. Krueger entered the week second in the conference and third in the state in kills per set, and has 116 total. Flathead’s Tiana Johnson has 100 kills this season and is sixth in the conference in kills per set and third in blocks.

Flathead needs a win against the Wolfpack to give itself a chance at the fifth seed. If the Bravettes hold on to the sixth seed, they will need to play Big Sky in a match to determine the final spot in next week’s tournament play-in matches.