There are favorites at every level as this year's all-class state volleyball tournament begins Thursday, but none are more clear cut than in Class AA.
Three-time defending champ Billings Senior has its sights set on making history in Bozeman, and if history is any indication, the Broncs have a good shot.
The top-ranked Broncs are 27-0 this season and carry a 61-match winning streak into this week's season finale at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.
The rest of the field, which includes three sub-.500 teams, is not particularly menacing, but there's hope.
The last time Senior lost a match was at state and it was to the same team the Broncs face in Thursday's opening round - Kalispell Flathead.
The all-class tourney, which began in 2004, will celebrate its fifth anniversary. It's been a big success in many followers eyes. Each classification decides its champion under one roof.
Play starts at 10 a.m. on Thursday and again on Friday. Saturday's championships are staggered for 1 and 3 p.m., depending on class.
Action for the AA and B tournaments takes place on the center courts, while the A and C tourneys are on the sides.
Missoula Sentinel is making its third straight appearance at state. It hopes against a repeat of last year's 0-2 performance.
The Spartans (18-5) are the No. 2 seed from Western AA, after being league champions last year.
Sentinel is led by 6-foot-4 senior middle blocker Jennifer Keddy and an athletic bunch of hitters on her flanks like Bryn Hasquet and Bailee Branson.
Senior setter Sarah Stocker has plenty of options at the net, with Keddy, who is heading to Cal Poly on a scholarship next year, leading the charge.
Senior most likely awaits Sentinel in the second round, but the Spartans open against Great Falls High. They beat Great Falls in both squads' season-opener and in the Missoula Invitational.
Should Sentinel and Senior meet in the second round, the match would be streamed on the Internet at kurlradio.com.
Sentinel, which finished the regular season ranked No. 5, is one of the Western AA's top contenders for a trophy.
A Missoula team has not placed at state since Hellgate was third in March of 2002. A Garden City team hasn't won state since Big Sky in 1995.
Helena High (17-5) earned the West's top seed, and opens against Great Falls CMR, which upset fourth-ranked Bozeman in the Eastern AA playoffs.
The third-ranked Bengals won all three of their meetings with the Spartans during the regular season, including a four-game win on the final weekend of the season.
Both Great Falls teams qualified for the state tourney for the first time since switching to the all-class format.
This also marks the first time both Kalispell schools are heading to state. Glacier is in just its second year as a AA program, though.
The Wolfpack (13-9) open against Billings West in the late match. The Bears (22-7) are ranked No. 2 behind Senior and were state runners-up a year ago.
Glacier is led by seniors Emilee Hashley in the middle, Lindsea Vaudt at setter and Kayla Smart at libero.
Current Glacier coach Christy Harkins helped guide Flathead over Senior in her last season with the Bravettes in 2006.
Flathead (5-14) has the worst record in the tourney, behind CMR (7-15). The Bravettes topped Missoula Big Sky in the final Western AA playoff to earn a spot at state.
Flathead fell to West in last year's loser-takes-third match.
State AA pairings
At Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
Bozeman
Thursday
10 a.m. - Billings Senior (27-0) vs. Kalispell Flathead (5-14)
Noon - Great Falls High (10-12) vs. Missoula Sentinel (18-5)
2 p.m. - Helena High (17-5) vs.Great Falls CMR (7-15)
4 p.m. - Kalispell Glacier (13-9) vs. Billings West (22-7)
6 p.m. - Senior-Flathead winner vs. Great Falls-Sentinel winner
8 p.m. - Helena-CMR winner vs. Glacier-West winner
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