HELENA -- In four of the past five years the Helena High volleyball team made the Class AA state tournament, and the Bengals are itching to see if they can make it five of six.
The Bengals will open their season against Billings Senior on Aug. 31, the team they beat in the first round of the 2018 Class AA state tournament 3-2. Then the Bengals will swap opponents with the Helena Capital Bruins to face the Billings West Golden Bears, the team that handed the Bengals their first loss of the 2018 tournament.
Saturday's game will count toward the Bengals' overall record, but they feel it's more important as a learning experience.
"We're just hoping to learn, like, what we need to fix, what we need to work on. We're a young team," said senior setter Emily Feller. "We're just excited to have competition. It's fun at practice, but we want some competition."
For senior Abby Marcille, the upcoming road matchups present a great opportunity for the team to bond both on and off the court.
"We're definitely excited to play (Billings Senior and Billings West). It's always fun to have a road trip with the girls, let alone play with them and see how were going to do," said Marcille. "We're just excited to get on the court and play."
The Bengals will take on Senior at 1:30 p.m. and West at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
