WORDEN — Per Huntley Project head volleyball coach Iona Stookey, the Red Devils are making their 25th consecutive appearance at the Class B state tournament.
This year's edition of Huntley Project is in search of its fourth consecutive state title. There are plenty of new faces in the rotation, but senior Sannah Windy Boy spearheads the attack, though she's spent just two years in the red and black.
“Coming from one school in the middle of nowhere to another school in the middle of nowhere was going to be tough, especially with all these girls who grew up playing together,” Windy Boy said. “I was ready for it, I’ll say that. I was ready to work hard wherever (Stookey) put me.”
Windy Boy’s arrival from Laurel has been a massive boost for Project, especially this year. She was a valuable piece of a state championship team last year and has taken that experience to help lead this year’s team.
“She knew what she was getting into before she got here, and she definitely makes a presence on our team. But to watch her at our practices and what she brings to our practices makes her who she is,” Stookey said.
“I had to go all out my senior year as they did for me. Playing my part, obviously. Playing my part and going all out in whatever aspect I can do of the game,” Windy Boy said.
With her high school volleyball career winding down, this year has been especially monumental as she’s shared the floor with her younger sister Sarah.
“It really helps me relax,” Sannah Windy Boy said. “I grew up playing with her and it’s a lot more fun when it’s the both of us. We can laugh at each other when we make a stupid mistake or we can hype each other up when we make an awesome, awesome play.”
The Windy Boy family hopes for a fairy tale ending this weekend in Bozeman. The Red Devils open up their state tournament with a first-round match against Florence at 12 p.m. on Thursday.
