BOZEMAN — Butte Central placed third at the state Class A high school girls’ volleyball tournament, but the ending did not come out the way the Maroons had it planned.
Season nemisis Corvallis topped BC 25-22, 18-25, 25-22, 10-25, 16-14 in the Saturday consolation-round semifinal/loser-out to advance to the afternoon championship against Columbia Falls. (Columbia Falls then swept Corvallis in the championship match 25-17, 25-22, 25-15.)
The Maroons had reached the winners’ bracket semifinal, but lost there in five sets to Columbia Falls to end up in the match against consolation survivor Corvallis.
After the BC players collected their third-place trophy and retreated to their locker room to change out of their uniforms for the last time this season, some for the final time. They then emerged and somberly walked down a hallway at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on the Montana State University campus, heading for a door to leave the building, the tournament.
Their teenage faces were tracing with their tears of disappointment as the Butte Central players walked quietly.
“We didn’t come prepared,” one of the girls said, breaking the silence. “We didn’t wear waterproof makeup.”
Laughter sounded.
No, the Maroons didn’t come prepared. They didn’t come prepared to lose, simply put.
“They went out (of the tournament) with a big fight,” Becky Hancock, rightfully proud head coach of the Maroons, said. “They never let down. They could’ve folded at anytime. They made it to the last day and a lot of teams never did,”
Five of the teams who qualified for the state Class A tournament didn’t make it to the last day. Butte Central actually outscored Corvallis overall on Saturday, 108-94, but was unable to cluster the points in the right groups to lean one of those close sets its way.
“We were right there at the end with Columbia Falls and Corvallis,” Hancock said. “One team had to lose (before reaching the title tilt) and, unfortunately, it was us. We can’t hang our heads about that. We took Corvallis to 16-14, right down to the very end.”
The Maroons lost only five matches out of the 23 they played this season. All of the losses lasted five sets and four of the defeats were to Corvallis, the other to Columbia Falls.
“Five sets everytime,” Hancock said of the few losses. “That shows the fight in our girls.”
The trophy, for third place, was the first state tournament volleyball trophy that was captured by a Butte Central team. This trip to the state tourney was only the second in the Maroons’ volleyball history of about 30 years.
“This team made history so many times this season,” Hancock said. “The trophy is materialistic, but it is the first hardware volleyball will bring home from State. There are little girls in the Butte Central system looking up to our players right now and wanting to be like them. So, it means much.”
The Saturday match with Corvallis was fierce in competition, but was marred by a bevy of net violations called throughout the duration. The anxious players seemed to be crashing the front in trying to defend the center. However, by the fifth game, the participants seemed more cognizant of their borders.
The teams were locked 10-all in the tiebreaker set when Corvallis grabbed an edge on a block by 5-foot-9 freshman Maureen Jessop. She added a kill and then the Blue Devils scored again on a tip shot by Hannah Capko. Sierra Pica tallied a tip for Butte Central to gain a point and the side-out. McKenzie Gallagher then fired an ace and Pica fenced up a block and the set was tied at 13-all. Jessop got another tip for Corvallis for match point. Pica’s kill re-tied the score. A Butte Central shot then veered right and landed out of bounds, giving the Blue Devils a 15-14 edge to sit again on match point. Capko toed the service line and Taia Tully ended the match and the Maroons’ season with a kill that ricocheted off the BC block and fell out of bounds.
The day began with the same intensity. Butte Central led game one 21-19 after a kill by Teresa Piazzola, but the Maroons tangled a shot in the net to turn over the serve. Genesis Keith clubbed a kill for the Blue Devils, tying the score at 21-all before Sierra Pica pasted one for BC to give her team an edge. However, Butte Central committed two consecutive hitting errors, handing Corvallis the one-point lead, 23-22. Blue Devil Holly Wilson aced a serve and then Katie Hurlbert hammered a kill though the Maroons’ block to secure the first-set win.
Butte Central led much of the early part of the second game and then opened up the margin behind a six-point serving run by Emily St. John. Ryan Trudnowski scored on a block and a kill, Piazzola tallied on a two-handed tip and the other three points in the run were scored on two Corvallis errors and a violation. The Blue Devils battled back to within 17-15 after a kill by Hannah Capko. BC refused to relinquish the lead and stayed ahead to 21-18 before Corbyn Holm served out the set. A faked-set tip by St. John scored a point and then Corvallis crumbled by putting two shots into the net and one wide of the court.
The Blue Devils used a five-point serving run by Wilson to take control of the third set and a 7-4 lead. They repelled challenges from Butte Central and were buoyed by a four-point serving run from Wilson punctuated by power shots from Keith, Capko and Hurlbert. Corvallis had a 21-15 advantage. A kill by freshman Maureen Jessop put the game at set point, 24-22. The Maroons responded with a Trudnowski tip, but Wilson’s fake set for a tip point ended the set.
The BC team was still competing though with its back against the wall. A Pica kill created the side-out that tied the fourth-set score 1-all and gave the serve to Piazzola. She served four points, two on Blue Devil errors and one each on kills by Pica and Trudnowski. The Pica shot saw her hide behind Trudnowski at the net and then rise and hammer the shot after Trudnowski faked a leaping swing. Trudnowski’s spike was that of a floater that hung above the net on a return from the Corvallis side. Butte Central built on the margin and reached 20-10 on a kill by Holm. It started a five-point serving run by Taylor Wahl that reached set point on another Blue Devil error. A serve and side-out later, Corvallis walloped a shot beyond the end line and the match went to the tie-breaker.
The floor defense was so ferocious that 129 digs were registered, 127 by Corvallis. Butte Central was led by Mollie Peoples with 23, St. John with 20 and Piazzola with 19. Tully had a match-high 33 digs for Corvallis, backed by 30 from Hurlbert. The Maroons posted 18 blocks as Trudnowski had seven, McGree four and Pica three to lead the outstanding effort at the net. BC also was led by two aces each from Piazzola and Gallagher, 13 kills from Pica and 37 assists from St. John. She set all of the team’s assists — again.
Keith finished with 17 kills and Capko had 10. Wilson set 45 assists and she and Capko each served two aces.
The best team in Butte Central volleyball history wasn’t known to be even by its coach until a few weeks into the season, Hancock said.
“I didn’t see the potential until about five games into the season,” she said. “We were down 18-23 at Belgrade and came back and won the match. That was when I knew this team had that mental toughness.”
The girls who made the history might not even appreciate until days, weeks, months, even years from now.
“They’ll appreciate the memories, the accomplishments and the experiences,” Hancock said. “They have a bond, a team chemistry and they’ll appreciate what they had as a team. They’ll realize they were in the top three of the best (Class A) teams in the state. They third place and that’s something to be proud of.
“The girls get along on and off the court. How strong they were and how they had that never-give-up attitude, those are things they’ll take from this year.”

Corvallis def. Butte Central 25-22, 18-25, 25-22, 10-25, 16-14.
KILLS — BC 47 (Sierra Pica 13, Corbyn Holm 8, Lacey McGree 8), Corvallis 51 (Genesis Keith 17, Hannah Capko 10). ASSISTS — BC 37 (Emily St. John 37), Corvallis 48 (Holly Wilson 45). ACES — BC 4 (Teresa Piazzola 2, McKenzie Gallagher 2), Corvallis 7 (Wilson 2, Capko 2). DIGS — BC 102 (Mollie Peoples 23, St. John 20, Piazzola 19), Corvallis 127 (Taia Tully 33, Katie Hurlbert 30). BLOCKS — BC 18 (Ryan Trudnowski 7, L. McGree 4, Pica 3), Corvallis 3 (Capko 2).

The magic numbers for the Butte Central volleyball team this regular season were, well, magical. The Maroons finished the schedule Thursday night with a 25-16, 25-16, 25-17 sweep over Frenchtown in a non-conference match at the Maroon Activities Center.
It was BC’s 13th sweep of this season. The Southwestern A Conference regular-season champion Butte Central squad completed a 14-1 schedule that saw the Maroons go 7-1 in conference matches and post an enviable 38-5 ledger in sets played.
The BC girls will continue play next week as the No. 1 seed in the Western A SuperDivisional tournament to be played in Hamilton. The top four teams from the tourney will advance to the state Class A tournament the following week in Bozeman.
The regular-season title is the first championship for Butte Central volleyball in program history.
“We went out there and, again, played together,” a pleased Becky Hancock, head coach of the Maroons, said after the win over Frenchtown. “We do things well when we play together.
“It was what I wanted to see going into divisionals. Plus, we saw the two teams (Stevensville and Frenchtown) this week and one of them will be who we play first at the tournament. We got a chance to see what they do strongly and what we need to do, early.”
The BC team swept Stevensville Tuesday night. Frenchtown and Stevensville will open the divisional tournament with the winner advancing to play Butte Central in the first round.
“Things gelled for us this week and that’s what I wanted going into the tournament,” Hancock said. “At the tournaments, teams pick up their games, too, that much more. So, we’ll really have to pick it up, too, in order to come out of it as one of the top teams.”
Strengths shown Thursday for BC included serving and net defense. They hitting attack was pretty consistent. Serving, though, seemed to sparkle most, and the play of the seven seniors honored prior to the game with their parents was also a rousing postitive.
“When we’re serving well, everything else falls into place,” Hancock said. “It gives us the momentum and we roll with it. McKenzie Gallagher did an awesome job tonight. She is a smark server who always hits her spots.”
The fans bid thanks and farewell to Gallagher and fellow Butte Central seniors Shawnee Hjelt, Teresa Piazzola, Sierra Pica, Whitney McGree, Lacey McGree and Ryan Trudnowski.
“All our seniors did awesome jobs tonight,” Hancock said. “They really left it all on the court.”
Leaders in the win included Taylor Wahl with three aces, Piazzola with 11 digs and six kills, Corbyn Holm with 10 digs, Emily St. John with all 26 team assists, and Lacey McGree with seven kills and three blocks.
Frenchtown leaders were Alivia Williams with six kills, Maddy Boller with six digs, Lora Pierce and Lexi Statelen with two aces each and Williams and Allison Hochhalter with a block apiece.
Butte Central never trailed in the first game. A Piazzola kill snapped a 1-all tie and the Maroons steadily built on their advantage. Wahl and Holm provided serving runs that helped stretch the gap to 16-7, helped by the hitting of Piazzola, Holm and Lacey McGree. Wahl sizzled a pair of aces. A McGree kill notched game point at 24-16 and then a four-hit call against Frenchtown ended the set.
Frenchtown fired up early in game two and held a 4-1 lead after BC hit a shot that tangled in the net. Cora Jo Boultinghouse served the early run. Butte Central worked its way back and tied the count 4-all on a kill by Pica. Piazzola served a five-point run and the Maroons powered ahead, using a Frenchtown error to go back in front. Gallagher served a seven-point run that opened a 24-14 command for set point. Pica and Holm hit kills in the run. Setter St. John dumped in a fake set for set point. The Broncs fought off the game loss three serves before caving on a hitting error, a shot that sailed wide.
Butte Central served well all through the third game with runs by Piazzola and Holm helping to build an early lead. Pica and Trudnowski were tough at the net on defense and the Maroons had an 18-11 cushion after Trudnowski stuffed on a block and then killed a 50-50 ball. A Frenchtown serve carried long to end a nice run by Boultinghouse and bring about match point, 24-17. Gallagher finished the night with an ace.
“We’ll be gearing up for next week,” Hancock said. “We want to sharpen up in some areas. We have a lot to prove yet. And, it’s a wash, now — everybody’s 0-and-0 and we have to prove ourselves all over again.
“I’m looking forward to a great tournament. I’m excited for (the Maroons).”

Butte Central def. Frenchtown 25-16, 25-16, 25-17.
KILLS — Frenchtown 16 (Aliviia Williams 6, Laci Willett 4), Butte Central 27 (Lacey McGree 7, Teresa Piazzola 6, Sierra Pica 5, Ryan Trudnowski 5, Corbyn Holm 4). ASSISTS — Frenchtown 15 (Kylie Willett 8, Lexi Statelen 6), Butte Central 26 (Emily St. John 26). ACES — Frenchtown 7 (Lora Pierce 2, Statelen 2), Butte Central 8 (Taylor Wahl 3, McKenzie Gallagher 2, St. John 1, Piazzola 1, Holm 1). DIGS — Frenchtown 27 (Maddy Boles 6, K. Willet 5), Butte Central 41 (Piazzola 11, Holm 10, Wahl 6, Mollie Peoples 5, St. John 3, Pica 2, L. McGree 2, Shawnee Hjelt 1, Trudnowski 1). BLOCKS — Frenchtown 3 (Williams 1, Allison Hochhalter 1), Butte Central 5 (L. McGree 3, Pica 1, Trudnowski 1).

Straight Sets

Maroons send out seniors with sweep of Frenchtown

17 minutes ago  •  Ron Balaskovitz The Montana Standard

The Butte Central Maroons sent out the team’s seven seniors and regular season in the same way they have for most of the season: with a sweep.

The Maroons rode 27 kills and eight services aces to a 25-16, 25-16, 25-17 sweep of the Frenchtown Broncs, Thursday night at the Maroon Activities Center, putting an exclamation point on the most successful regular season in school history.

The win capped off a 12-1 regular season that saw the Maroons earn sweeps in 11 of those wins, and capped off an undefeated season on their home court.

“I believe this is the most successful season,” Central coach Becky Hancock said. “I told them it’s a bittersweet night. It was their last night on their home court, it kind of hits hard. There’s nothing more they could have done, they went undefeated on their home court and truly did leave a legacy. They really left something for this program to build off of.

“What they did this year is truly remarkable and they should be nothing but proud of themselves and how they carried this team.”

Lacey McGree led the Maroons with seven kills and three blocks, while Teresa Piazzola added six kills and 11 digs in the final home match of their careers. Taylor Wahl had three of the Maroons’ eight aces, and Emily St. John dished out all 26 assists.

Early in the opening set, the serving of Taylor Wahl helped give the Maroons the early cushion that stood gave the Maroons enough of a lead to hold off the Broncs the rest of the set. Wahl put down three aces in a four point span to build the Maroons’ lead to 9-3.

The Broncs were never closer than three following that stretch, and Central took advantage of nine Bronc hitting and service errors to take the opener, 25-16.

The Broncs jumped the Maroons early to open the second set, taking an early 4-1 lead before the Maroons attack four kills over the next six points to take a 7-4 lead. From there the two teams were back-and-forth, with the Maroons holding a lead that was never more than three. But with the score 16-14, the Maroons took off by rattling off eight consecutive points.

Senior McKenzie Gallagher served up seven straight points, including a pair of aces as the Maroons stretched the lead to 2-0 with a 25-16 second set win.

“McKenzie got back there and did what she does,” Hancock said. “She owned it tonight and did very well back there behind the service line. I was very proud of her tonight.”

Central carried the momentum of the second set close-out into the third where they quickly took a 5-1 lead, but the Broncs clawed back into the set by tying the score on three different occasions. With the score tied 7-7, the Maroons took off, winning eight of the next nine points for a 15-8 lead that forced a Frenchtown timeout.

After the break, the Maroons kept at it, building the lead to as much as 11 at 23-12, before Frenchtown tried to get back into the game with five straight points. But the deficit was too much, and the Maroons took home the third and the sweep with a 25-17 win.

“They went out and played together,” Central coach Becky Hancock said. “It was one of those games where everything fell into place for us.”

Frenchtown were paced by Alivia Williams’ six kills, while Lora Pierce and Lexi Statelyn each served up two aces.

The Maroons will now turn their attention to next week’s Western A Divisional Tournament in Hamilton, where the Maroons will face either Stevensville or Frenchtown on at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The Maroons swept Stevi on Tuesday night.

“It’s been nice that we got to see both those teams this week,” Hancock said. “To see what they do and then work on areas where we were week against them. We’re seeing where things fall into place with the tournament, but going into practice, everything needs to tighten up so we can show what we have.”

Butte Central 3, Frenchtown 0

Butte Central def. Frenchtown 25-16, 25-16, 25-17

BC: Kills 27 (Lacey McGree 7), Assists 26 (Emily St. John 26), Digs 41 (Teresa Piazzola 11), Blocks 5 (McGree 3), Aces 8 (Corbyn Holm 3).

Ftown: Kills 16 (Alivia Williams 6), Assists 15 (Kylie Willet 8), Digs 27 (Maddy Boles 6), Blocks 3 (Williams, Allie Hochalter 1), Aces 7 (Lora Pierce, Lexi Stateyn 2).

Butte Central wasted little time on the volleyball court Tuesday night.

The Maroons scored the first nine points of the match and swept Stevensville 25-9, 25-14, 25-20 at the Maroon Activities Center. The victory gave the Maroons the Southwestern A regular-season title and a first-round bye at next week’s Western A Divisional tournament in Hamilton.

“We took care of business tonight,” BC coach Beck Hancock said. “It was one of those nights where it was a great team effort on all ends.”

The Maroons stood out on the serve and the block, improving on two areas in which they struggled in Saturday’s five-set win over Anaconda.

“When our serve is on we do well,” Hancock said. “Our game plan was to serve better than we did Saturday and to block better. We did both those pretty well tonight. We just came out with a lot of enthusiasm, and we took care of business. That’s what we needed to do.”

Emily St. John, BC’s junior setter, set the tone from the start.

She served BC’s first nine points, and that included three aces that hit the floor before the Yellowjackets could even get a finger on it.

St. John ended the match with five aces to go along with 21 assists, nine digs and a team-leading 10 kills.

“She’s an amazing athlete and amazing setter,” Hancock said. “She really gets our team going. She’s probably one of the best setters I’ve seen since I’ve been here.”

Hancock, however, had praise all around for her Maroons, who improved to 12-1 on the season and 7-1 in conference standings.

“You have to have all areas going,” the coach said. “One person might stand out, but if it wasn’t for a great serve receive and passers it would be hard for her to do the things that she does. Our server receive and our defense does a great job of getting the ball up to her.”

Teresa Piazzola had another huge match, tallying eight kills and 12 digs. Sierra Pica and Lacey McGree each killed five, while Corbyn Holm and Ryan Trudnowski made their presence known at the net with three kills.

Libero Mollie Peoples added three digs, while Taylor Wahl and holm netted three. Shawnee Hjelt and Whitney McGree also contributed in the backcourt, while McKenzi Gallagher found success serving for BC.

Wahl and Peoples both served two aces.

“This is a great team in general,” Hancock said. “When were on, everything is on.”

Mariah Hinson had a big match for the Yellowjackts (2-12, 0-7). She ended the night with 10 kills, 17 digs and two aces.

Hancock, who is in her second year as head coach after a long tenure as an assistant, said this is probably the first time the Maroons will claim the top seed heading into the divisional tournament.

Along with securing the bye, the Maroons also made sure Columbia Falls and Corvallis are on the other side of the bracket.

Hancock said she was happy to have the “cushion” that comes with a bye and the top seed, but noted that her team will have to be at its best to advance to the State tournament for just the second time in school history.

The top four teams from the “super divisional,” which includes the Southwestern A and Northwestern A, will move on.

“I’m happy about the No. 1 seed,” Hancock said. “But we’re going to have to come out at our peak and really get after it.”

First, though, the Maroons have one more regular-season match. The Maroons will play host to Frenchtown Thursday night, which will be Senior Night.

The Maroons will honor seniors Whitney and Lacey McGree, Hjelt, Piazzola, Pica, Gallagher and Trudnowski.

Butte Central def. Stevensville 25-9, 25-14, 25-20
Kills — Stevi 15 (Mariah Hinson 10, Faith Ellis 3), BC 34 (Emily St. John 10, Teresa Piazzola 8, Sierra Pica 5, Lacey McGree 5, Corbyn Holm 3, Ryan Trudnowski 3). Assists — Stevi 12 (Quinn Larson 11, Hinson 1), BC 22 (St. John 1, Pica 1). Blocks — Stevi 5 (Angel Richards 2.5), BC 7 (McGree 2.5, Trudnowski 2, Pica 1, Holm 1, St. John .5, Piazzola .5). Aces — Stevi 4 (Hinson 2), BC 9 (St. John 5, Wahl 2, Peoples 2).  3Digs — Stevi 54 (Hinson 17, Vanessa Dunn 11), BC 36 (Piazzola 12, St. John 9, Peoples 6, Holm 3, Wahl 3, Shawnee Hjelt 2, Whitney McGree 1).

Corvallis smashes Dillon

16 minutes ago

At Corvallis, the Blue Devils had over twice as many kills as Dillon and reaped a 3-0 sweep of Dillon as a reward, winning 25-20, 25-22, 25-13.

Corvallis hit 45 total kills, led by 17 from Hannah Capko. Dillon, meanwhile, had only 18 kills as a team. 

Passing was the key to Corvallis' success. The Blue Devils had assists on 41 of the 45 kills, with a majority of them, 38, coming via Polly Wilson.

Kylie Christiansen had 19 digs and two aces to lead Dillon. 

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Corvallis def. Dillon, 3-0

Corvallis def. Dillon, 25-20, 25-22, 25-13.

Kills – Dillon 18 (Alex Rouse 7), Corvallis 45 (Hannah Capko 17). Blocks – Dillon 3 (Lexie Belice 2), Corvallis 7 (Two with three). Digs – Dillon 59 (Kylie Christiansen 19), Corvallis 65 (Ashley Davis 16). Assists – Dillon 14 (Bailey Berriochoa 13), Corvallis 41 (Polly Wilson 38). Aces – Dillon 6 (Kyra Wood, Christiansen 2), Corvallis 5 (Taia Tully 2).

Whitefish whips Frenchtown

At Whitefish, the Bulldogs rolled over Frenchtown, winning 25-12, 25-12, 25-22.

Whitefish made 32 kills, with Nina Thew pitching in 13 to lead the Bulldogs to the win. Ellie Dewan had eight digs, and Whitefish combined for seven aces as team.

Meanwhile, Laci Willet had 10 kills and two blocks for Frenchtown, while her sister Kylie led the Broncs in assists, with 10 of Frenchtown's 18. 

Whitefish def. Frenchtown, 3-0

Whitefish def. Frenchtown, 25-12, 25-12, 25-22.

Kills—Frenchtown 19 (Laci Willet 10), Whitefish 32 (Nina Thew 13). Blocks—Frenchtown 4 (L. Willet 2), Whitefish 4 (Cailyn Ross 2). Assists—Frenchtown 18 (Kylie Willet 10), Whitefish 32 (Allie Schulz 22). Digs—Frenchtown 39 (Allie Hochalter 11), Whitefish 36 (Ellie Dewan 8). Aces—Frenchtown 5 (Lora Pierce 2), Whitefish 7 (Schulz 3, Ross 3).

Polson topples Hamilton

Polson def. Hamilton, 3-1

At Polson, the Pirates dropped the first set but then rallied to take the next three, beating Hamilton 16-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-19.

Hayley Fyant led Polson on the offensive end, with 18 of the Pirates 42 kills. Lydia Dupuis threw in a pair of aces to go along with her team-high 16 digs, and Erin Sampson assisted on nearly every single Polson kill. She had 39 assists, while Polson had 42 as a team.

Caitlyn Gillespie led Hamilton with nine kills and two blocks.

Polson def. Hamilton, 16-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-19.

Kills – Hamilton 35 (Caitlyn Gillespie 9), Polson 42 (Hayley Fyant 18). Blocks – Hamilton 4 (Gillespie 2), Polson 5 (5 with 1). Digs – Hamilton 55 (Tristy Searle 21), Polson 64 (Lydia Dupuis 16). Assists – Hamilton 24 (Caitlyn Dillon 20), Polson 42 (Erin Sampson 39). Aces – Hamilton 9 (Brooke Huxtable 4), Polson 8 (Dupuis 2).

What looked like a laugher at the start turned into a thriller Saturday at the Maroon Activities Center.

Butte Central beat old rival Anaconda 25-12, 21-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-13 in a non-conference volleyball match.

The win lifted the Maroons to 11-1 on the season.

DILLON — Butte High’s volleyball team came out on the losing end of a five-set thriller to the Dillon Beavers in a non-conference match Thursday night at the B.W. Lodge Gymnasium.

After the Beavers won the opener 25-23, Butte High looked to be in control after wins of 25-19 and 25-12. Dillon, though battled back to take the victory with wins of 25-22 and 15-10 in the final two sets.

The loss came despite a 15-kill, 3.5-block performance by Abby Dodge. The Bulldogs also got 10 kills from Mikayla McGivern and nine from Jenna Maroney, who added seven digs.

Libero Hannah Amtmann collected 35 of Butte High’s 72 digs in the match that saw a ton of long volleys. Erika Spear dished up 31 assists.

Stats from the Beavers are not available.

The Bulldogs are back in action Friday when they play host to Billings Skyview at 7 p.m. at the Richardson Gym.

Dillon def. Butte High 25-23, 19-25, 12-25, 25-22, 15-10
Butte High Stats — Kills: 50 (Abby Dodge 15, Mikayla McGivern 10, Jenna Maroney 9, Amanda Pickle 8, McKenna Dahlman 6, Hannah Amtmann 1, Erika Spear 1). Assists: 42 (Spear 31, Sam Krzan 6, Paige Powers 4, Amtmann 2). Blocks: 8 (Dodge 3.5, McGivern 3, Kaity McGruder 1, Dahlman .5). Aces: 9 (Pickel 3, Powers 2, Amtmann 1, Powers 1, McGivern 1, Maroney 1). Digs: 72 (Amtmann 35, Spear 8, Maroney 7, Dahlman 6, Pickle 5, McGruder 2, McGivern 2, Powers 2, Dodge 1, Keeley Pochervina 1).

Belgrade got off to a fast start against Butte Central’s undefeated volleyball team Tuesday night at the Maroon Activities Center.
The Panthers jumped out to a 16-11 lead and put into jeopardy BC’s 27-set winning streak in the regular season.
The Maroons, though, bounced back to take the first set 25-19. BC left little doubt in the next two sets, winning 25-14 and 25-12 as the Maroons rolled their record to 10-0 on the regular season.
Butte Central has swept all 10 of those matches, rolling up a 30-0 record in sets. The Panthers fell to 10-5 with their second loss to the Maroons.
“I loved everything about how we played tonight,” BC head coach Becky Hancock said after the non-conference win over the defending state Class A champion Panthers. “We played together and we played strong.”
Butte Central dropped two sets on Saturday in its own Blocktober Classic tournament and did not advance to the championship bracket, topping the consolation bracket instead. The tournament did not play regulation best-of-three matches and results do not count on the participants’ records.
Hancocks said she saw her team’s recovery from the Saturday doldrums begin while trailing Belgrade later in the first set.
“At about the 18th point,” she said. “Then, we took into the 20s and went from there. Our girls were having fun. When they’re having fun, they release all that tension.”
Left-handed right-side hitter Sierra Pica re-found her hitting stroke and timing to play a key role in beating Belgrade, Hancock said.
“We were on tonight after working on the hitter-setter connection this week in practice,” the coach said. “We were blocking well, too, and playing wel on defense.
“Saturday, things weren’t clicking for us and what they say is true — what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
Simply, the Maroons toughened up and seemed to force Belgrade into errors that eventually sank the Panthers.
“Tonight, we didn’t back down,” Hancock said. “I knew we’d rebound back and we did that tonight.”
Pica finished with seven kills, four digs and four blocks. Teresa Piazzola led in kills with 12 and in digs with 17. Libero Mollie Peoples had 13 digs. Emily St. John set all 28 assists. St. John, McKenzie Gallagher and Taylor Wahl each sizzled two aces.
Belgrade leaders were freshman Bailey Christensen with 11 kills, Skyla Neubauer with a match-high 26 digs, Sydney Lambeth with the team’s only block and Shania Neubauer with an ace and 17 assists.
The first game set an intense tempo. Belgrade brought a vocal contingent to cheer the Panthers and inspired them to a 16-11 as Butte Central was guilty of some hitting errors at mid-set. Abby Klonsinski served a four-point run that took Belgrade to the 16-11 advantage. St. John followed with a seven-point run of her own, serving for the Maroons, and BC had the lead at 19-16. They kept it. Wahl served an ace for set point, 24-19, and Corbyn Holm placed a soft kill in to win the set.
Butte Central played better as the second game progressed while the Panthers seemed to struggle a little bit. The Maroons never trailed. They broke a 3-all tie on a kill by Piazzola and steadily built on their lead. Another Piazzola kill made it set point at 25-14 before St. John blistered in the ace serve for a winner.
Early serving runs by Holm and Peoples helped BC to a 15-8 lead in the third set behind good hitting by Lacey McGree, Piazzola and Ryan Trudnowski. Belgrade was unable to close the gap to less than four points the rest of the way. Gallagher took to the service line with Butte Central in front 18-12 and served out the match. She splashed an ace after a Belgrade error, a Pica block and kills by Piazzola and Holm. The Panthers then committed two consecutive hitting errors to finish the match.
The Maroons will return to Southwestern A Conference action on Thursday with a road trip to Corvallis, which won BC’s Blocktober Classic Saturday.
“Thursday will be huge against Corvallis because it is conference,” Hancock said. “We’ll get after it down there.”

Butte Central def. Belgrade 25-19, 25-14, 25-12.
KILLS — Belgrade 23 (Bailey Christensen 11), Butte Central 35 (Teresa Piazzola 12, Sierra Pica 7, Corbyn Holm 6, Emily St. John 4, Ryan Trudnowski 3, Shawnee Hjelt 2, Lacey McGree 1). ASSISTS — Belgrade 20 (Shania Neubauer 17), Butte Central 28 (St. John 28). ACES — Belgrade 1 (Shania Newbauer), Butte Central 6 (St. John 2, McKenzie Gallagher 2, Taylor Wahl 2). DIGS — Belgrade 66 (Skyla Neubauer 26, Christensen 13), Butte Central 64 (Piazzola 17, Mollie Peoples 13, St. John 9, Hjelt 8, Wahl 6, Pica 4, Gallagher 3, Holm 2, McGree 1, Trudnowski 1). BLOCKS– Belgrade 1 (Sydney Lambeth), Butte Central 6 (Pica 4, McGree 2, Trudnowski 1).

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HAMILTON — Butte Central’s volleyball team rolled its record to 9-0 on the season with a sweep of Hamilton in a Southwestern A match Saturday afternoon.

Yet another sweep means the Maroons are now 27-0 in sets through the regular season.

BC won 25-21, 25-9, 25-17. Head coach Becky Hancock said it wasn’t quite as easy as the score might make it look. At least not early on.

“We started off a little slow today in the first set, not moving our feet on defense,” Hancock said. “The second game was ignited by solid serving by Taylor Wahl serving up 12 points and then solid defense and hitting.”

Teresa Piazzola tallied 11 kills and 18 digs to pace the BC effort. Lacey McGree added five kills and four blocks, while Corbyn Holm and Ryan Trudnowski each spiked six kills.

Mollie Peoples contributed with 13 digs, and Emily St. John served up 30 of BC’s 31 assists.

“It all started to click that second set and into the third set,” Hancock said. “Emily St. John did an outstanding job setting up and spreading out our offense today, and our hitters did an amazing job putting the ball away.

“It was fun to watch, from the pass to the hit everything just started to fall into place,” Hancock said. “We played as one today, and that’s what we need to continue to do as we progress through-out the regular second half of the season.”

The Maroons, who improved to 6-0 in league play, will host the annual Blocktober Classic next Saturday at the MAC.

Butte Central def. Hamilton 25-21, 25-9, 25-17
Kills – Butte Central 35 (Teresa Piazzola 11, Corbyn Holm 6, Ryan Trudnowski 6, Lacey McGree 5, Sierra Pica 4, Emily St. John 3), Hamilton 31 (Tristy Searle 11). Blocks – Butte Central  (McGree 4, Holm 2, Pica 1), Hamilton 2 (Caitlin Gillespie 1). Digs – Butte Central 52 (Piazzola 18, Mollie Peoples 13, Taylor Wahl 7, St. John 5, Shawnee Hjelt 4, Holm 3, McKenzie Gallagher 1, Pica 1), Hamilton 53 (Kloie Nye 15). Assists – Butte Central 31 (St. John 30, Holm 1), Hamilton 29 (Caitlin Dillon 23). Aces – Butte Central 4 (Wahl 2, Gallagher, St. John), Hamilton 2 (Kloie Nye, Brooke Huxtable).

At Dillon, the Beavers dropped the second set but held on to win, beating the Yellowjackets 27-29, 25-21, 20-25, 20-25.

Stevensille's Victoria Scothorhn had 13 kills for Stevensville, who combined for 37 as a team. The Yellowjackets also had 57 digs in the loss.

No stats were available for Dillon.

Dillon def. Stevensville, 29-27, 21-25, 25-20, 25-20.

Kills – Stevensville 37 (Victoria Scothorn 13). Blocks – Stevensville 4 (Angel Richards 2). Digs – Stevensville 57 (Mariah Hinson 10). Assists – Stevensville 29 (Quinn Larson 28), Dillon. Aces – Stevensville 6 (Rylee McCoy 3).

Havre def. Browning 25-10, 25-9, 25-15

Havre leaders – Kills 25 (Dani Wagner 10); assists 15 (Naomi Terry 8); aces 11 (Naomi Terry 4); digs 44 (Megan Erickson 13); blocks 4 (Reggie Bernard 2, Jacey McDonald 2).

Browning leaders – Kills 13 (Caroline McEvers 4); assists 10 (Olivia Hall 10); aces 2 (Talisia Crowspreadshiswings 1, Ronnal Jordan 1); digs 54 (Melissa Flamond 13); blocks 2 (Talisia Crowspreadshiswings 2).

Whitefish def. Polson 25-23, 25-13, 25-13

Polson leaders – Kills 17 (Chadelle Smith 5, Nicole Lake 5); assists 14 (Erin Sampson 14); aces 2 (no leader reported); digs 27 (Shawna Lenz 9); blocks 8 (Nicole Lake 3).

Whitefish leaders – Kills 30 (Cailyn Ross 12); assists 30 (Allie Schulz 16); aces 7 (Cailyn Ross 2, Ellie Dewan 2); digs 28 (Ellie Dewan 8); Blocks 8 (Kate Doom 3).

Butte Central ran its record to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in Southwestern A play with a sweep of the Dillon Beavers tonight at the Maroon Activities Center.

The Maroons won the match 25-20, 25-9, 25-18. Butte Central is now 24-0 in sets during the regular season.

After more than a week off, the Butte Central volleyball team picked up right where it had left off.

Behind 33 kills from a selective front line, the Maroons swept the rival Dillon Beavers on Thursday night at the Maroon Activities Center 25-20, 25-9, 25-18 to stay unbeaten on the 2015 campaign.

The Maroons are now 8-0 overall and are still yet to drop a set in dual matches.

"They've been finding ways to get it done," Central coach Becky Hancock said. "It's hard, we've been over for over a week, and it's hard to have that much time off and them come out and perform at the level we need to be at.

It was a little roller coaster tonight, but the girls are very competitive and it's exciting to see a team like that. Overall it was a an all-around team effort."

The Maroons had four different players pick up at least five kills in the win, many of them coming on tips over the lengthy Dillon front line. Teresa Piazzola posted a match-high nine kills and 10 digs, while Lacey McGree added eight kills and posted a match-best five solo blocks on defense. Emily St. John added 28 assists and three aces.

"We really work on tipping and rolling," Hancock said of the front line. "They're very smart hitters, they find the areas on the court that are open and put the ball away. I'm proud of the front line, we had some awesome blocking tonight too."

The Maroons opened the match strong, jumping out to a 14-8 lead early behind two kills and a block from McGee, but the Beavers turned it on to pull within 17-16 following a Bailey Berriochoa ace. Berriochoca led the Beavers with three aces and 10 assists.

But the Beavers were unable to get over the hump in the first set, and the Maroons closed on a 5-2 run to take the opening set 25-20.

"It was a slow start for us," Hancock said. "But the girls are finding a way to get it done."

The Maroons took the momentum of the opening set close-out and turned it into a dominating second set. 

The Maroons jumped out to a 7-1 lead to start, before Dillon answered to get within 9-6, but from there it was all Central.

The Maroons took advantage of four service aces and six kills down the stretch, closing on a 13-2 run to claim in the second, 25-9.

"It's frustrating to see from the sidelines and I know it's frustrating on the court," Dillon coach Angela Racicot said of the second set. "We just need some ability to respond and to share leadership of how to get momentum going our way rather than playing timid."

The Beavers claimed momentum to open the third set though, racing out to a 9-2 lead, and putting the Maroons in danger of dropping their first set of the season. 

"They knew what they needed to do," Hancock said of the deficit. "We needed to find our intensity and excitement, I didn't feel we were doing that early."

The Maroons though began to chip away at the Dillon lead, clawing back to tie the set at 16-16, and forcing Dillon into a timeout.

With Mackenzie Gallagher serving, the Maroons rolled off nine straight points to take control of the third at 22-16, then rode a Corbyn Holm ace and McGree kill to close out the third set and the match, 25-20.

"Mackenzie did a great job getting us back into the game with her solid serving," Hancock said.

Offensively, the Beavers were led by Alex Rouse's six kills, while Kylie Christiansen posted a match-high 17 digs. The Beavers will return to the court on Saturday when they play host to Stevensville.

"I think we did a lot better job of running our routes today," Racicot said. "We read the attack well, minus game two, I thought that we played really aggressive and as a team, it's really positive to see. It's what we need to keep moving forward this month."

The Maroons meanwhile, will put their perfect record on the line Saturday with a road match against Hamilton.

"Things are coming along," Hancock said. "But were really need to take it to that next level. There's a couple more notches that we need to get to that I know this team can get to."

Butte Central 3, Dillon 0

Butte Central def. Dillon 25-20, 25-9, 25-18

BC: Kills 33 (Teresa Piazzola 9), Assists 29 (Emily St. John 28), Digs (10), Blocks 6 (Lacey McGree 5), Aces 8 (St. John 3).

DIL: Kills 16 (Alex Rouse 6), Assists 12 (Bailey Berriocha 10), Digs 42 (Kylie Christiansen 17), Blocks 4 (Lexie Belice 1.5), Aces 7 (Belice, Berriochoa 3).

Miles City def. Sidney

25-12, 26-24, 25-23

Miles City: Kills: 24 (Ashlie Larson 7). Blocks: 3 (Larson 1). Aces: 13. Digs: 88 (Hadleigh Miller 17). Assists: 20 (Tori Ogolin 18).

Sidney: Kills: 32 (Madison Theisen 8). Blocks: 4 (Aubrey Kessel 3). Aces: 9 (Tenna Cooley 3). Digs: 84 (Theisen 21). Assists: 27 (Mateya Coffman 16).

Hardin def. Glendive

25-20, 25-22, 19-25, 25-18

Glendive: Kills 46 (Crockett 13, Torres 12), Assists 41 (Egan 40), Blocks 3 (Crockett, Staiger, Wyse), Digs 83 (Crockett 17, Staiger 17 Egan 14), Aces 9 (Torres 3, Crockett 2, Staiger 2).

Hardin: Kills 34 (Elissa Lind 8, Keaunna Mason 8), Assists 26 (Courtney Chavez 24), Blocks 5 (Shelby Uffelman 2), Digs 47 (Sarah Edgar 15), Aces 18 (Edgar 6, Uffelman 5).

Belgrade def. Livingston

25-19 25-18, 25-18

Livingston (2-7, 1-4): Kills: 19 (Lauren Emler 6). Blocks: 4 (Holly Davis n/a). Aces: 5 (Aleah Peterson 2). Digs: 65 (Lindsay Lane 16). Assists: 15 (Kinsey Whiting 14).

Belgrade (9-4, 5-0): Kills: 29 (Shania Neubauer 8). Blocks: 9 (Jordan Branch 4.5). Aces: 9 (Emily Schram 3, Mady Shott 3). Digs: 49 (Skyla Neubauer 18). Assists: 22 (Sh. Neubauer 18).

BELGRADE — Make it seven up, seven down for the Butte Central volleyball team.

The Maroons stayed perfect on the regular season Tuesday night by beating Belgrade 25-23, 25-23, 29-27 in a matchup of first-place teams. The Maroons lead the Southwestern A, while the Panthers are on top of the Central A.

The Maroons scored the final eight points of the first set before scoring the final four points of the second set to take a 2-0 advantage. Then the Maroons needed extra time to finish off Belgrade.

“Tonight was a test of our mental toughness, and we succeeded,” BC coach Becky Hancock said. “Each and every match the girls fought and played hard. They never let down, and they never gave up. I can’t say enough about their drive and fight tonight.”

Teresa Piazzola had a monster night to lead the Maroons. The senior hitter spiked 13 kills and collected 24 digs. Both were match highs.

“She is just an amazing athlete who has been making some big plays out there on the court,” Hancock said.

Ryan Trudnowski added nine kills and three and a half blocks in the win, while Corbyn Holm killed five and Sierra Pica spiked four. Emily St. John ran the offense, dishing up all 32 BC assists.

“They came through in pressure situations and came out on top,” Hancock said. “It was a great game against one of the top teams in the Central A.

“Ryan Trudnowski had an outstanding game tonight,” Hancock said. “She has really come along and was a huge force up there on the net. Corbyn Holm came up big tonight with her aggressive serving, which was huge for us in that first match.”

BC had four players reach double figures in digs. Taylor Wahl and Mollie Peoples each got 11, while Holm dug 10.

Bailey Christensen and Shania Neubauer each talled 12 kills to lead the Panthers, who fell to 7-4.

BC is 7-0 overall. The Maroons have not lost a set in their seven sweeps this season.

“Individually we all stepped up and got the job done as a team,” Hancock said. “It was a great win for us tonight.”

The Maroons have a long break before going for 8-0. Their next match is Oct. 8 at home against Dillon.

Butte Central def. Belgrade 25-23, 25-23, 29-27
Kills — BC 38 (Teresa Piazzola 13, Ryan Trudnowski 9, Lacey McGree 7, Corbyn Holm 5, Sierra Pica 4), Belgrade 39 (Bailey Christensen 12, Shania Neubuaer 12). Assists — BC 32 (Emily St. John 32), Belgrade 25 (Sh. Neubauer 25). Blocks — 7 (Trudnowski 3.5, McGree 2, Pica 1.4), Belgrade 5 (Sydney Lambeth 2). Aces — BC 4 (Emily St. John 2, Wahl 2), Belgrade 4 (Madi Shott 2). Digs — 68 (Piazzola 24, Taylor Wahl 11, Mollie Peoples 11, Holm 10, St. John 7, Shawnee Hjelt 4, Trudnowski 1), Belgrade 57 (Emily Schram 14, Skyla Neubauer 13, Christensen 13).

STEVENSVILLE — Butte Central wasn’t at its best on the volleyball court Saturday afternoon.

It didn’t make a bit of difference as far as the Maroons’ win-loss record goes, however. BC rolled its record to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play with a 25-19, 25-17, 25-13 win over Stevensville.

In six matches, the Maroons have won 18 sets and lost none.

“We struggled a little today overall as a team,” BC coach Becky Hancock said. “Our serve receive has been solid, and today I didn’t feel we were on in that area. When we can’t pass it is hard getting an offense going.

“But a win is a win, and we found a way,” Hancock said. “These girls are resilient, even on their off games they are winning and you can’t complain about that.”

Corbyn Holm, Lacey McGree and Teresa Piazzola each smacked seven kills, while Ryan Trudnowski spiked six to lead BC’s offensive. Piazzola added 10 digs and three aces.

Mollie Peoples grabbed a team-best 12 digs, while Emily St. John served up all of BC’s 25 assists. Taylor Wahl added three aces.

“Come Monday we have some things to work out,” Hancock said, “but we are a strong team who needs to keep climbing each and every practice to that next level.”

The Maroons hit the road again Tuesday for a non-conference match with Belgrade.

Butte Central def. Stevensville 25-19, 25-17, 25-13
KILLS — BC 33 (Corbyn Holm 7, Lacey McGree 7, Teresa Piazzola 7, Ryan Trudnowski 6, Emily St. John 3, Sierra Pica 2, Mollie Peoples 1), Stevensville 17 (Mariah Hinson 8). ASISTS — BC 25 (St. John 25),  Stevensville 13 (Rylee McCoy 13). BLOCKS — BC 5 (Pica 1.5, McGree 1.5, St. John 1, Holm .5, McGree .5), Stevensville 5 (Angel Richards 3). ACES — 7 (Wahl 3, Piazzola 3, Peoples 1), Stevensville 5 (Vanessa Dunn 4). DIGS — BC 42 (Peoples 12, Piazzola 10, Wahl 7, St. John 4, Holm 4, McKenzie Gallagher 3, Shawnee Hjelt 2), Stevensville 39 (Abby Austin 12).

Hamilton rebounds for four-set win over Polson

At Hamilton, Hamilton dropped the first set, but wrestled the next two away from Polson in a four-set non-conference win Saturday afternoon.

The Broncs rallied for a 20-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-14 win over Polson, in which Shannon Casale pounded home 21 kills. Caitlin Dillon contributed 46 of Hamilton's 48 assists.

No stats were available for Polson.

Hamilton def. Polson 20-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-14

Kills – Polson (Cradelle Smith 10), Hamilton (Shannon Casele 21). Blocks – Polson (Lauren Lefthand 2), Hamilton 4 (Caitlin Gillespie 3). Digs – Polson (Marlee Cougdon 23), Hamilton 76 (Klohe Nye 25). Assists – Hamilton 48 (Caitlin Dillon 46). Aces – Polson 5 (Haley Fyart), Hamilton 12 (Tristy Searle).

Butte Central def. Stevensville

25-19, 25-17, 25-13

Stevensville: Kills 17 (Mariah Hinson 8). Blocks 5 (Angel Richards 3). Digs 39 (Abby Austin 12). Assists 13 (Rylee McCoy 13). Aces 5 (Vanessa Dunn 4).

Butte Central: stats not reported.

Dillon def. Livingston

25-21, 20-25, 25-12, 27-25

Dillon: Kills 35 (Alex Rouse 11), Blocks 5 (Lexie Belice 4), Assists 30 (Bailey Berriochoa 29), Digs 70 (Kodi Ferris 18), Aces 10 (Berriochoa 5).

Livingston: Kills 38 (Sierra Higgs 15), Blocks 5 (Holly Davis 2, Kinsey Whiting 2), Assists 30 (Kinsey Whiting 29), Digs 66 (Lindsay Lane 15), Aces 10 (Sarah Strickland 4, Aleah Peterson 4).

Butte High head volleyball coach Dale Burgman didn’t really have a stroke between the second and third games of the Bulldogs’ match with Dillon Thursday night. However, something did occur that inspired Butte High to pull out a 25-19, 24-26, 25-19, 25-17 win in the Ross J. Richardson Memorial Gym.
Burgman admitted to being quite excited for awhile, especially after the loss in the second game, but then settled in as the Bulldogs responded to the adversity and coach’s suggestions to play better.
He was calm after the non-conference cross-class victory.
“It was real nice for Amanda,” Burgman said in reference to the 14 kills of Amanda Pickle. “And Hannah (Amtmann) had about 20 more (digs) than on Tuesday.”
Amtmann had 32 digs in her libero role, compared with 14 on Tuesday in a loss at Eastern AA Conference rival C.M. Russell of Great Falls.
“We had 45 kills tonight and that’s the most we’ve had in awhile,” Burgman said. “About 30 were probably on tips. Brianna (Barsness) sat on the bench and told them to tip ‘em, tip ‘em, tip ‘em until they take the tip away.”
Barsness is Burgman’s top assistant and also his eldest daughter.
“Amanda didn’t have any spectacular kills but she had a lot and they were down the middle when nobody had the block,” Burgman said. “Mikayla McGivern had most of her kills (8) in the third and fourth games. Erika Spear served the ball extremely well.
“We were better than Tuesday night because Tuesday night, we were horrendous.”
The coach said he liked the response to the adversity of dropping a set to Dillon and being in danger of losing another. The Bulldogs bounced back to win the third set, then were more forceful in the fourth.
“I thought in the third and fourth games, we started getting tougher at the net,” he said. “I thought we did better against (Alex) Rouse. I swear she’s been there longer than four years.
“Some of our kids stepped up when they needed, when we needed. It would’ve been easy for them to just feel sorry for themselves, but they didn’t.”
Other team leaders included Spear with 25 assists and five aces, Abby Dodge with 13 kills, McGivern with two blocks and Pickle with 10 digs.
Dillon leaders were 6-foot Lexie Belice with eight kills, three aces and three blocks, Bailey Berriochoa with 23 assists and 18 digs, Kylie Christiansen with 16 digs, Kodi Ferris with 14 digs and Rouse with 10 digs.
Angela Racicot, head coach of the Beavers, said her team struggled with Butte High’s strength at the net, which, she said, let the Bulldogs wrestle away control of the match.
“They kept us from doing what we wanted to do, offensively,” she said. “But, that’s what they do. They take away your game.”
Dillon established that it was going to compete hard with the Class AA Butte High Bulldogs in the first game. The Beavers, from Class A, held a 15-14 edge after an ace serve by Belice. Butte High tied the score on a kill by Pickle, and then went ahead on an ace by Pickle. The Bulldogs held onto it and slightly expanded it. They got to 24-19 and set point on a tip by McKenna Dahlman then put away the win on an ace by Krzan.
Christiansen served Dillon out in the second game to tie the match score at a game apiece. She toed the line with the Beavers trailing 24-21, then served for five straight points with Dillon scoring on a Butte High shot past the end line, a Belice block, an ace, another Belice block and on another Bulldog hit that traveled too far. Butte High had held a six-point lead, 23-17.
Dillon threw a scare into the Bulldogs in the third set. The Beavers rallied from 10-3 down to grab a 12-11 edge as Belice blasted a kill. The teams battled points and side-outs until the Bulldogs gained some space on three straight Beaver hitting errors. The miscues gave Butte High an 18-15 lead. The Bulldogs maintained and reached game point at 24-19 as Pickle landed a soft kill. Another Dillon hitting error ended the game.
Butte High took over control of the fourth set during an eight-point serving run by Krzan. She chained three aces in the splurge that also included two McGivern stuff blocks and a kill, and two Dillon hitting errors. The run took the Bulldogs to a 16-9 command. Dillon still chipped away at it. The Beaver pulled to within 23-16 when a Butte High serve tangled in the net. However, the Beavers then committed their own service error, which gave the Bulldogs match point. A contested point was replayed, delaying the Butte High victory a couple of serves. Libero Kodi Ferris rolled a tip into Butte High floor space for a Beaver point before the Bulldogs ended it with a kill by Dodge that Krzan set.
“Sam came in off the bench in that fourth game and had those eight points (the serving run),” Burgman said. “That was big. “The girls responded to the adversity. They were being smart.”
The Bulldogs are 2-7 for the season and will play a non-conference match on Tuesday at Helena High in their next competition. It will be the first of three consecutive road matches for Butte High with other stops planned at Bozeman next Friday and at Great Falls High the following Tuesday.
Dillon will be home on Saturday against non-league opponent Livingston. It will be the Beavers’ homecoming match.

Butte High def. Dillon 25-19, 24-26, 25-19, 25-17.
KILLS — Dillon 29 (Lexie Belice 8, Alex Rouse 7, Paige Rouse 6, Kylie Christiansen 5, Bailey Berriochoa 3), Butte High 45 (Amanda Pickle 14, Abby Dodge 13, Mikayla McGivern 8, Kaity McGruder 6, McKenna Dahlman 2, Sam Krzan 1, Jenna Maroney 1). ASSISTS — Dillon 23 (Berriochoa 23), Butte High 37 (Erika Spear 25, Krzan 10, Hannah Amtmann 1, McGivern 1). ACES — Dillon 11 (Belice 3, A. Rouse 2, Christiansen 2, Berriochoa 2, Adrianna Pittman 2), Butte High 13 (Spear 5, McGivern 3, Krzan 3, Pickle 2). DIGS — Dillon 75 (Berriochoa 18, Christiansen 16, Ferris 14, A. Rouse 10, Pittman 4, Brynley Fitzgerald 3, P. Rouse 3, Kyra Wood 3, Nicole Hritsco 3, Belice 1), Butte High 64 (Amtmann 32, Pickle 10, Dodge 6, McGruder 6, McGivern 4, Krzan 3, Dahlman 2, Spear 1). BLOCKS — Dillon 5 (Belice 3, A. Rouse 1, Berriochoa 1), Butte High 4 (McGivern 2, Dodge 1, McGruder 1).

Belgrade defeats Livingston

25-9, 25-18, 25-10

Belgrade: Kills 33 (Bailey Christensen 9), Assists 24 (Shania Neubauer 22), Digs 37 (Skyla Neubaer 13), Blocks 7 (Christensen 3.5), Aces 13 (Emily Schram 4 Amaya Frank 3).

Livingston: Kills 12 (Sierra Higgs 4), Assists 8 (Kinsey Whiting 7), Digs 32 (Lindsay Lane 10), Blocks 2 (Whiting, Holly Davis), Aces 5 (Sarah Strickland 3).

Colstrip def. Glendive

25-10, 25-9, 25-11

Glendive: Kills 10 (Staiger 5), Assists 10 (Hill 10), Aces 2 (Staiger 1, Torres 1), Digs 24 (Hubbard 6, Keiser 6, Staiger 6), Blocks 1 (Staiger 1).

Colstrip: Kills 27 (Amaya LaFranier 9), Assists 21 (Emma Dudley 21), Aces 11 (Constence Rollins 4), Digs 44 (Hailey Poole 12), Blocks 2.

Butte Central was almost too good for its own good Saturday when the Maroons rocked Hamilton 25-9, 25-19, 25-23 in a Southwestern A Conference high school girls’ volleyball match at the Maroon Activities Center (MAC).
The BC girls stayed undefeated with the win going to 2-0 in conference play and 4-0 overall. Butte Central wouldn’t allow Hamilton to get started in the first game, then let down some in the second and the Broncs took advantage. Hamilton was downright intent on comeback in the third game and forced the Maroons to compete to the end.
“I don’t know if we were coming out that strong or if the other team just came out week,” BC head coach Becky Hancock said, shaking her head. “But, I knew Hamilton and would hit with their heat. I knew they’d come back and they did, and we were kind of asleep.
“We need to stay high on intensity and excitement all the time. In our frustrations, there for a time, we were flustered. We have to stay excited and stay intense.”
Butte Central was pretty good across the board. The serving sizzled, though the sturdy Broncs held up and got in front of most of the shots. Mollie Peoples did drill two her team’s aces.
Homecoming queen Teresa Piazzola led in kills with 12, finding her swing for some rockets that the Broncs simply could not get to to defend. She also led the Maroons in digs with 11 and Peoples scooped 10. Emily St. John again set all 32 assists with good dispersal instincts. Sierra Pica slammed kills and Lacey McGree notched four blocks,
The highlight of Butte Central’s first-game dominance was a serving run by Peoples that took the Maroons from a 14-7 advantage to a 21-7 command. She splashed her two aces back-to-back in the splurge that also included kills by Corbyn Holm and Ryan Trudnowski. Piazzola plastered a kill for game point at 24-8. After a successful tip shot by Shannon Casale for Hamilton, the Broncs committed a four-hit violation that finished the set.
It took a little longer to for BC to shake Hamilton in the second game. The Maroons led by only 22-19 when they gained the last possession on a long serve by the Broncs. Holm toed the line and Piazzola scored on a tip, then on a kill. The latter put up game point. A very tough serve by Holm put the Hamilton receive off-balance and caused a weak floater that Lacey McGree smothered straight down on a stuff block. It finished the game.
Hamilton was in full contention in the third set. The Broncs had a 21-19 edge after Jordan Bauder buried a kill. The Broncs’ next shot carried long and tied the score. Another put Butte Central ahead. Hayley Hudgins hammered a kill to re-tie the count for Hamilton and then Piazzola powered two consecutive high-octane kills to put the Maroons up by 24-22, game point. Another such attempt by Piazzola was blocked by Bauder and the Broncs had the side-out. The handfight at the net, after the serve and return, however, resulted in Hamilton being called for a lift just a tick before Pica blasted a kill.
“It was fun to see them regroup,” Hancock said. “It was, ‘how bad do you guys want this?’ “
Hancock was referring to the 21-19 edge Hamilton had taken in the third game, throwing up some adversity for Butte Central to conquer.
“They figured it out and I’m happy about that,” the coach said. “We’ve been pretty consistent and now we’re getting the mental toughness.”
Though the serving was not racking up bunches of aces, it did wobble the Broncs. Hamilton had trouble fielding the serves and more trouble making quality passes off the receives. The weaker passes hurt the setting as attested to by totaling just 14 assists. The disrupted set rattled the hitters’ timing in the attack.
“Our serving has been lethal,” Hancock said. “We seem to always have one or two kids who get back there and we’re on it. Mollie’s jump serve today was trouble for them to handle and McKenzie (Gallagher) got us on a roll, today.”
The coach also credited Holm with her consistent play in all aspects this season, and Taylor Wahl for her serving Saturday, along with her passing off the serve-receive. The team is pretty deep and the good, quick, defensive specialists nicely complement the front line that possesses good height. The combination showed Saturday, especially in the early going.
Hamilton leaders included Tristy Searle and Casale with seven kills apiece, Casale with 15 digs, Caitlin Dillon with 14 assists and Bauder with three blocks.
The BC girls will next play on Tuesday at home against conference rival Corvallis. It is scheduled for a 7 p.m. first serve.

Butte Central def. Hamilton 25-9, 25-19, 25-23.
KILLS — Hamilton 20 (Tristy Searle 7, Shannon Casale 7), Butte Central 36 (Teresa Piazzola 12, Sierra Pica 8, Corbyn Holm 6, Lacey McGree 6, Emily St. John 2, Ryan Trudnowski 2). ASSISTS — Hamilton 14 (Caitlin Dillon 14), Butte Central 32 (St. John 32). ACES — Hamilton 3 (Jordan Bauder 1, Caitlin Gillespie 1, Kloie Nye 1), Butte Central 4 (Mollie Peoples 2, Piazzola 1, McKenzie Gallagher 1). DIGS — Hamilton 50 (Casale 15), Butte Central 52 (Piazzola 11, Peoples 10, Wahl 8, St. John 7, Shawnee Hjelt 7, Holm 5, Pica 3, Gallagher 1). Blocks — Hamilton 3 (Bauder 3), Butte Central 5 (L. McGree 4, Trudnowski 1).

Billing Central def. Glendive

25-15, 26-24, 25-16

Billings Central: Kills 33 (Ellie Hanser 12, Jade Harrison 9), Assists 33 (Barclay Fagg 22, Morgan Lucas 7), Aces 12 (Ellie Hanser 5, Morgan Lucas 3, Hope Welhaven 3), Blocks 10 (Alix Elliott 6, Ellie Hanser 3), Digs: NA (Hope Welhaven 20, Bailey Kufeld 15).

Glendive: Kills 24 (Crockett 7, Torres 5), Assists 22 (Hill 12, Egan 9), Blocks 2 (Egan, Torres), Digs 36 (Crockett 10), Aces 6 (Torres 4).

Hardin def. Havre

25-20, 24-26, 25-20, 25-21

Hardin: Kills 45 (Elissa Lind 13), Blocks 12 (Keaunna Mason 9), Assists 33 (Kourtney Chavez 16), Digs 75 (Ashley Uffelman 19), Aces 6 (Kourtney Chavez 3).

Havre: Kills 34 (Megan Erickson 7, Dani Wagner 7), Blocks 5 (Jacey McDonald 3), Assists 26 (Naomi Terry 15), Digs 91 (Megan Erickson 19), Aces 4 (Dani Wagner 3).

Lewistown def. Laurel

20-25, 16-25, 25-17, 25-12, 15-11

Lewistown: Kills 47 (Whitney Weeden 17), Blocks 6 (Carley Carpenter 2), Assists 40 (Mikayla Comes 26), Digs 61 (Bailey Collins 18), Aces 15 (Carley Carpenter 7).

Laurel: Kills 16 (Abbie Lohof 8), Blocks 11 (Callie Allen 5), Assists 15 (Maygan McFate 13), Digs 72 (Sarah Wiscomb 35), Aces 7 (Callie Allen 3).

Lewistown def. Hardin

25-22, 18-25, 25-15, 22-25, 15-9

Hardin: Kills 31 (Keaunna Mason  12), Blocks 10 (Mason 5), Assists 27 (Shae Esp 14), Digs 74 (Ashley Uffelman 19, Elissa Lind 19), Aces 11 (Ashley Uffelman 4).

Lewistown: Klls 48 (Whitney Weeden 14), Blocks 7 (Hanna Hayes 3), Assists 48 (Mikayla Comes 47), Digs 66 (Kodi Mhyre 21), Aces 19 (Weeden 4, Carley Carpenter 4, Comes 4).

Havre def. Laurel

25-19, 23-25, 25-22, 19-25, 15-12

Laurel: Kills 21 (Abbie Lohof 9), Blocks 6 (Lohof 3.5), Assists: 20 (Maygan McFate 19), Digs 90 (Sarah Wiscomb 40), Aces 12 (Kylee Foos 5).

Havre: Kills 27 (Paige Nelson 7), Blocks 13 (Reggie Bernard 4.5), Assists 22 (Naomi Terry 12), Digs 72 (Dani Wagner 18), Aces 10 (Reggie Bernard 3).

Shelby def. Browning 25-20, 26-24, 25-9

Shelby -- Kills 33 (Shannyn Midboe 8), Assists 31 (Brittany Brusven 16), Aces 13 (Allisa Buck 6), Digs 45 (Buck 16), Blocks 1 (Sarah Sanchez)

Browning – Kills 16 (Melissa Flamand 4, Caroline McEvers 4), Assists 14 (Jacelyn Croff 7), Aces 9 (Croff 4), Digs NA (Flamand 21), Blocks 4.

It was like facing the Toronto Blue Jays’ lineup. Everybody could hit.
Butte Central put on a power display Thursday night while beating Livingston with a triplicate 25-17 scores in a non-conference Class A high school volleyball sweep at the Maroon Activities Center.
The Maroons belted 38 kills and fired eight ace serves in gaining their third straight victory this season against no losses. Emily St. John set all 32 assists dealing up shots for her big-hitting BC teammates, including Corbyn Holm, who hammered nine kills; Teresa Piazzola and Ryan Trudnowski, each of whom smacked eight kills; and Sierra Pica, who pounded seven.
Piazzola also planted five aces on the Livingston side of the net.
“I loved what I saw,” Butte Central head coach Becky Hancock said. “We came out strong and with a lot of excitement. This is homecoming week and we took that excitement to the court.
“(Libero) Mollie Peoples was great on serve-receive and back there serving. Our front row was on and Emily does great at distributing the ball. Emily was able to set a lot of things tonight because of our great serve-receives (and the accurate passes to the setter).”
Peoples led the floor defense with 18 digs. Trudnowski posted three blocks.
“We struggled in the second game with our serve,” Hancock said. “We suffered some little letdowns here and there, but we got back into it every time. It’s exciting to have a front row where everybody contributes and the setter makes sets.
“Our defense was a little weak, but it will come around. We need to get our block going, too, and get ahead of the game.”
Butte Central was methodical in the first game. The Maroons didn’t string any big serving runs, but outscored Livingston 2-1 and 3-1 on sideouts to steadily build their lead. They were never behind and the last tie was 3-all after a shot by the Rangers’ Kinsey Whiting. A Livingston shot rolled up in the net to give BC the one-point edge. Two Rangers’ hitting errors followed and Butte Central was ahead for good. Piazzola plastered two straight aces to continue the Butte Central hot hitting. The Maroons kept the momentum and reached game point at 24-15 as Livingston mishandled a Pica blast. Three serves later, Pica drilled a kill off Ranger hands for the set win.
The second game was tougher for BC. The Rangers took a lead, 2-1, on a Butte Central shot that cleared the end line. The Maroons answered with a score-tying ace by Piazzola and the two teams matched points for 11 consecutive side-outs. BC gained a 10-8 advantage on a serve too long by Livingston. Butte Central didn’t give up any margin and added to its lead bit by bit. Peoples served a six-point run to reach game point at 24-15, scored on an ace. Piazzola and Trudnowski each had a kill and a block in the run. The Maroons needed to work through two more serves and a side-out before the game ended with a Trudnowski walloping a spike the Livingston defenders couldn’t handle.
Important serving runs by Taylor Wahl, Holm and Peoples helped stake BC to an early command in the third game. Lacey McGree put together a personal streak during Holm’s run with two kills and tough defense at the net.
The Rangers tried to hang with the home team, but Butte Central was able to outdistance. Piazzola notched matched point on a kill for 24-16 and then, after a side-out, buried another kill for the win.
Livingston leaders included Holly Davis with 10 kills, Whiting with 14 assists, and Lindsay Lane with 14 digs and two aces. The loss put the Rangers at 1-3 for the year.
“Anytime you can beat a good team like Park (Livingston), you take it and roll with it,” Hancock said. “Saturday, we play Hamilton, which is another tough team.”
The match with Hamilton is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the MAC.

Butte Central def. Hamilton 25-17, 25-17, 25-17.
KILLS — Livingston 19 (Holly Davis 10, Sierra Higgs 5), Butte Central 38 (Corbyn Holm 9, Teresa Piazzola 8, Ryan Trudnowski 8, Sierra Pica 7, Lacey McGree 5, Emily St. John 1). ASSISTS — Livingston 14 (Kinsey Whiting 14), Butte Central 32 (St. John 32). ACES — Livingston 4 (Lindsay Lane 2, Aleah Peterson 1), Butte Central 8 (Piazzola 5, Taylor Wahl 2, Mollie Peoples 1). DIGS — Livingston 52 (Lane 14, Higgs 11), Butte Central 46 (Peoples 18, Piazzola 7, Taylor Wahl 7, St. John 4, Holm 4, Shawnee Hjelt 2, McKenzie Gallagher 2, Pica 1, L. McGree 1). BLOCKS — Livingston 4 (Lauren Emter 1, Whiting 1, Higgs 1, Davis 1), Butte Central 5 (Trudnowski 3, Piazzola 1, Pica 1).

Columbia Falls sweeps Polson

At Columbia Falls, Haley Fyant had six kills in Polson's 25-18, 25-13, 25-12 Northwestern A loss to the Wildkats.

Erin Sampson added six digs and 13 assists for the Pirates.

Columbia Falls leaders were not available.

Columbia Falls def. Polson 25-18, 25-13, 25-12.

Kills – Polson 16 (Haley Fyant 6). Blocks – Polson 4 (Nicole Lake 2½). Digs – Polson 23 (Erin Sampson 6). Assists – Polson 16 (Sampson 13). Aces – Polson 1 (Lydia Dupuis).

Columbia Falls statistics were not available.

Whitefish takes care of Frenchtown

At Frenchtown, the visiting Whitefish Bulldogs won the Northwestern A match, 25-19, 25-19, 26-24.

Allie Schulz had 18 assists for the Bulldogs, who also had three girls hit for three aces apiece.

Frenchtown was led by Laci Willet's 10 kills and the 10 assists of Kylie Willet.

Whitefish def. Frenchtown, 25-19, 25-19, 26-24.

Kills – Whitefish 25 (Allie Schulz 7), Frenchtown 25 (Laci Willet 10). Blocks – Whitefish 9 (Cailyn Ross 7), Frenchtown 8 (Allie Hochhalter 2). Digs – Whitefish 35 (Ellie DeWan 13), Frenchtown 45 (Cora Boultinghouse 11). Assists – Whitefish 25 (Schulz 18), Frenchtown 21 (Kylie Willet 10). Aces – Whitefish 11 (Three with 3), Frenchtown 4 (K. Willet 2).

Corvallis sweeps Dillon

DILLON -- Hannah Capko put down 14 kills to lead Corvallis to a 25-12, 25-22, 25-15 Southwestern A volleyball win over Dillon on Thursday night.

Holly Wilson added 13 digs and 22 assists for the Blue Devils. Taia Tully chipped in four aces.

Paige Rouse led Dillon with six kills.

Corvallis def. Dillon, 25-12, 25-22, 25-15.

Kills – Corvallis 35 (Hannah Capko 14), Dillon 15 (Paige Rouse 6). Blocks – Corvallis 7 (Olivia Smart 4), Dillon 3 (Alex Rouse 2). Digs – Corvallis 48 (Holly Wilson 13), Dillon 54 (Kylie Christiansen 16). Assists – Corvallis 32 (Wilson 22), Dillon 12 (Bailey Berriochoa 12). Aces – Corvallis 13 (Taia Tully 4), Dillon 8 (Rouse 4).

Whitefish def. Frenchtown, 25-19, 25-19, 26-24.

Kills – Whitefish 25 (Allie Schulz 18), Frenchtown 25 (Laci Willet 10). Blocks – Whitefish 9 (n/a), Frenchtown 8 (Allie Hochhalter 2). Digs – Whitefish 35 (Ellie DeWan 13), Frenchtown 45 (Cora Boultinghouse 11). Assists – Whitefish 25 (Schulz 18), Frenchtown 21 (Kylie Willet 10). Aces – Whitefish 11 (Three with 3), Frenchtown 4 (K. Willet 2).

Glendive def. Wolf Point

25-10, 25-15, 25-12

Wolf Point: Statistics not reported.

Glendive: Aces 16 (S. Egan 6), Kills 34 (T. Torres 9), Assists 31 (Egan 13), Digs 34 (Egan 10).

DILLON — Butte Central opened its Southwestern A volleyball schedule with a sweep of the Dillon Beavers Thursday night at the B.W. Lodge Gymnasium.

Teresa Piazzola registered 10 kills and 13 digs to lead the balanced BC attack as the Maroons topped the Beavers 25-12, 25-21, 25-16.

Sierra Pica added six kills, while Ryan Trudnowski tallied five kills, Emily St. John and Corbyn each spiked four, and Lacey McGree racked up three kills and three blocks.

“Tonight was a good team effort,” BC coach Becky Hancock said. “We came out and dominated the first set, but Dillon came back strong in the second and third set making us work for our points. Dillon is a great team, so I was happy to see us come away with the win tonight.”

St. John, the setter, ran the offense, dishing up 23 assists. Holm added 12 digs, while Taylor Wahl and Mollie Peoples each hit the floor for seven digs.

Butte Central improved to 2-0 overall. The Maroons also had success at a pair of preseason tournaments, winning the Windy City Classic Saturday in Belgrade.

“I still feel defensively we need to get more fundamentally sound with where we are at, but we will get there,” Hancock said.

The Maroons will get the weekend off. They’ll be back in action next Thursday and Saturday when they take on Livingston and Hamilton during homecoming week.

Butte Central stats follow.

Butte Central def. Dillon 25-12, 25-21, 25-16
KILLS — BC 34 (Teresa Piazzola 10, Sierra Pica 6, Ryan Trudnowski 5, Emily St. John 4, Corbyn Holm 4, Lacey McGree 3, Shawnee Hjelt 1, Mollie Peoples 1). ASSISTS — BC 23 (St. John 23). BLOCKS — 3 (McGree 3). ACES — 5 (Holm 2, St. John 1, McKenzie Gallagher 1, Taylor Wahl 1). DIGS — 51 (Piazzola 13, Holm 12, Wahl 7, Peoples 7, St. John 5, Gallagher 4, Hjelt 2, McGree 1).

Frenchtown survives against Polson

FRENCHTOWN -- The Frenchtown Broncs nearly gave it away, but were able to survive dropping a two-set lead and rallied to beat Polson in five sets, 25-22, 25-22, 24-26, 12-25, 15-13, on Thursday.

Frenchtown cruised through the first two sets before finding trouble. Laci Willet had 22 kills for the Broncs. But Polson also had a big match on offense -- Chavelle Smith recorded 15 kills of her own, and the Pirates had 33 assists.

More importantly, they also had 18 aces, compared to just 10 for the Broncs.

Luckily for Frenchtown, defense won out. Alivia Williams had all six of Frenchtown's blocks, and the Broncs were able to hold on and win.

Frenchtown 3, Polson 2

Frenchtown def. Polson, 25-22, 25-22, 24-26, 12-25, 15-13.

Kills – Polson 38 (Chavelle Smith 15), Frenchtown 22 (Laci Willet 12). Blocks – Polson 5 (Nicole Lake), Frenchtown 6 (Aliva William 6). Assists – Polson 33 (Ann Sampson 28), Frenchtown 20 (Kylie Willet 13). Aces – Polson 18 (Erin Sampson 6), Frenchtown 10 (Lexi Statelen).

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BOB ZELLAR/Gazette Staff

Belgrade’s Sydney Lambeth spikes as Central’s Alix Elliott and Laura Sterup block Thursday.

Belgrade def. Billings Central

25-16, 25-21, 25-21

Belgrade (4-2): Kills 37 (Bailey Christensen 9, Madi Shott 8), Assists 30 (Shania Neubauer 29), Blocks 4 (Christensen 2), Digs 61 (Skyla Neubauer 18, Emily Schram 15), Aces 4 (Christensen 3).

Billings Central (4-2): Kills 22 (Jade Harrison 6, Alix Elliott 5), Assists 15 (Barclay Fagg 10), Blocks 1 (Sydney Hawbaker), Digs 38 (Hope Welhaven 13, Bailey Kufeld 9), Aces 2 (Kufeld, Welhaven).

Miles City def. Sidney

25-15, 26-24, 21-25, 25-16

Sidney: Kills 39, Assists 33, Blocks 0, Digs 84, Aces 15.

Miles City: Kills 31 (Tori Ogolin 7), Assists 19 (Ogolin 20), Blocks 6 (Halie Warren 3), Digs 101 (Ashlie Larsen 21, Warren 19, Hadleigh Miller 18), Aces 15 (Ogolin 6).

Hardin def. Laurel

25-13, 25-23, 15-25, 25-13

Hardin: Kills 38 (Keaunna Mason 18), Assists 37 (Kourtney CHaez 17), Aces 13 (Mason 5), Digs 71 (Sarah Edgar 24), Blocks 7 (Mason 5).

Laurel: Kills 25 (Maisa Story 8), Assists 21 (Maygan McFate 19), Aces 5 (Abbie Lohof 2), Digs 82 (Sarah Wiscomb 36), Blocks 5 (Story 2.5).

Glendive def. Glasgow

13-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-18

Glendive: NA.

Glasgow: Kills 26 (Khloe Krumwiede 9), Blocks 8 (Rikki Stormy 3, Rachel Mickelson 3), Aces 14 (Krumwiede 4). Digs 23 (Kiauna Barstad 10), Assists 25 (Teagan Fossum 13).

Butte Central head volleyball coach Becky Hancock saw a couple areas where the Maroons need to improve Thursday night.

Most of the spectators at BC’s home-opening match against Polson at the Maroon Activities Center, however, couldn’t see much of anything that the Maroons did wrong.

Butte Central made short work of the Pirates, winning 25-15, 25-8, 25-14 in a match that lasted just 1 hour, 4 minutes.

“It’s going to be an awesome season,” Hancock said.  “They’re going to be one of those teams to watch.”

The Maroons, a team made up of mostly juniors and seniors after two seasons of growing pains, appear to have fully arrived on the scene of Class A competitors as they showed off their strong serving and dominating front line in the victory.

Hancock said the Maroons, who will play at the Windy City Classic in Belgrade on Saturday, will focus on improving her team’s defense over the next week or so. That, she said, will be a lot easier coming off a victory.

“It’s awesome to see areas that we were able to improve on and still go out there and dominate a game like that,” Hancock said. “This is a great squad, a talented squad. A great group of girls all around.”

Sierra Pica pounded eight kills to lead BC’s balanced offensive attack. Teresa Piazzola and Corbyn Holm each added five kills, while Emily St. John and Lacey McGree killed three and Ryan Turdnowski killed two.

St. John, the setter, hand out 19 assists as she kept the Maroon offense balanced and unpredictable.

“It’s exciting to see when you look at your stat sheet and your right side is getting just as many sets as your outside,” Hancock said. “Emily is doing a great job spreading out that offense. It’s exciting to see that distribution on offense. Sierra Pica is really connecting with that ball and putting the ball away.”

McGree was a force at the net, registering two and a half blocks.

The Maroons also served six aces, with Piazzola and Holm hitting two aces, and St. John and Taylor Wahl each serving one.

“Our serving was really on tonight,” Hancock said. “That really contributed to the win. Corbyn was outstanding.”

Polson stats were not available for the match. Hancock, though, praised the Pirates play, particularly in the back row.

“They have great defense,” she said. “They were digging up our balls that we were hitting at them. We kept with it, though, and kept strong on our side. We made it work.”

The Maroons will open Southwestern A play next Thursday at Dillon.

WHITEFISH 3 STEVENSVILLE 1

At Stevensville, Northwestern A Whitefish downed Southwestern A Stevensville 25-14, 25-16, 23-25, 25-19 in a nonconference match.

No other details were available.

DILLON — Butte Central appears to be ready for the regular volleyball season.

The Maroons split a pair of matches with Columbia Falls and Polson Saturday before knocking off Whitefish in two games a matchup of No 2 seeds from pool play.

The tournament was played at the B.W. Lodge Gymnasium.

Columbia Falls went on to beat Corvallis in three games in the No. 1 seeded game. Stevensvill topped Frenchtown in the No. 3 match, Polson beat Dillon in the NO. 4 contest and Hamilton downed Browning in the No. 5.

BC fell to Columbia Falls 25-20 before bouncing back with a 25-14 win. The Maroons beat Polson 25-10 before falling 25-20. That put the Maroons at 8-2 in their 10 games of the tournament.

Then, BC beat Whitefish 25-18 and 25-20.

“We played tough and stayed strong when things got close,” BC coach Becky Hancock said. “Seniors Shawnee Hjelt, Teresa Piazzola and juniors Mollie Peoples and Taylor Wahl had a great day on defense, while senior McKenzie Gallagher served solid.

“I am proud of these girls,” the coach added. “It has been awhile since we have been one of the top seeds in a pre-season tourney. We definitely have things to work on and improve, but overall we had a strong showing this weekend.”

The Maroons open the season with a nonconference match against Polson Thursday. Then BC will head to the Windy City Classic in Belgrade.

Pool play
Butte Central split with Columbia Falls 20-25, 25-14
KILLS — 20 (Corbyn Holm 6, Emily St. John 4, Teresa Piazzola 4, Sierra Pica 4, Ryan Trudnowski 1). ASSISTS — 14 (St. John 14, Pica 1). BLOCKS — 2 (Pica 1, Lacey McGree 1). ACES — 3 (Piazzola 1, McKenzie Gallagher 1, Mollie Peoples 1). DIGS — 31 (St. Johon 8, Piazzola 8, Peoples 6, Holm 3, Taylor Wahl 3, Pica 2, Gallagher 1).

Butte Central split with Polson 25-10, 20-25
KILLS — 17 (Piazzola 5, Holm 4, Trudnowski 3, Pica 2, McGree 2, St. John 1). ASSISTS — 16 (St. John 16). BLOCKS — 1 (Pica .5, Trudnowski .5). ACES — BC 4 (Piazzola 4). DIGS — 25 (Wahl 6, Hjelt 5, PIazzola 4, Peoples 4, St. John 3, Gallagher 1, Pica 1, Trudnowski 1).

No. 2 seed match
Butte Central def. Whitefish 25-18, 25-20
KILLS — 16 (McGree 5, Piazzola 4, Holm 4, St. John 3). ASSISTS — 19 (St. John 19). BLOCKS — 3 (Piazzola 1, Pica .5, Holm .5, McGree .5, Trudnowski .5). ACES — 5 (St. John 2, Piazzola 1, Holm 1, Wahl 1). DIGS — 26 (Piazzola 7, Peoples 7, St. John 6, Wahl 4, Hjelt 2).