BOZEMAN — Bozeman volleyball has a tough match ahead of them this Saturday in the State AA playoffs. The No. 6 Hawks are traveling to Helena to take on No. 1 Capital, who also happens to be the 2019 reigning champs. Although they’re coming in as the underdogs, the Hawks say they’re peaking at the right time.
“Yesterday’s practice was pretty incredible, even coming off a late-night on Tuesday," said head coach Jeni Anderson. "Today I can already see it in their eyes that they’re ready to continue moving forward. I think we’re in a good spot right now.”
The Hawks are coming off a big upset win in the first round of playoffs against No. 3 Billings Skyview. After dropping the first two sets, Bozeman rallied back to win in five advancing to the quarterfinals this Saturday.
“We’ve been working our butts off all season, and we’ve had some great comebacks, and we’re peaking at the right time," said outside hitter Izzy Isley.
The Capital Bruins had a first-round bye with the No. 1 seed. They’ve won back-to-back State AA volleyball championships, and haven’t lost a match since their 2018 season.
“We’re expecting a super big block and some really awesome all-around players on their team, but we’ve got a super big block and some awesome players on our team as well, so it could go either way," added Isley. "I have a lot of confidence that we can pull through.”
“They’re definitely a strong team, so they’re going to get some killer plays and we just have to bounce back and work hard and shake it off," said middle hitter Kamryn Larson.
The Bruins currently hold the MHSA consecutive wins record with 68, but with a solid game plan in place and strong few days of practice, the Hawks are confident heading into Saturday.
“These girls are capable of anything they put their minds to, so if they’re willing to do the work and they’ve got the right mindset, this could go our way," said Coach Anderson.
The Hawks will hit the road Saturday morning for their State AA quarterfinal game against Capital, which is set for 2 p.m.
