(Editor's note: Watch Day 1 video highlights by scrolling through the videos above)
BOZEMAN -- Joelle Luoma had an impressive match Thursday night to lead Joliet past Townsend in straight sets at the Class B state volleyball tournament in Bozeman. The J-Hawks defeated the Bulldogs 25-13, 31-29, 25-17 to advance to Friday's undefeated semifinal.
Luoma was all over the court in the final Class B game of the evening, posting a team-high 15 kills to go with 22 digs and two aces. Shayla Webber had 30 assists, Merrin Schwend had the team's other eight, and Skyler Wright posted 2.5 blocks to lead Joliet past the Bulldogs. Wright also had 18 digs, eight kills and two aces in the win.
Townsend was led by Taylor Noyes' 21 assists and Alleigh Burdick's 23 digs, but the Bulldogs couldn't keep pace with Joliet's offensive attack. Trinity Wilson (6), Peyton Vogl (5) and Becca Payne (5) led the Bulldogs in kills, but the team posted only 22 overall.
Joliet's win sets up a Southern B rematch against Huntley Project. Just last weekend, the Red Devils defeated the J-Hawks in four sets in the divisional's undefeated semifinal, then straight sets in its championship game. Friday's match is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Townsend will play either Glasgow or Shelby in a 2 p.m. loser-out contest on Friday.
PHOTOS: STATE VOLLEYBALL DAY 1
Huntley Project def. Shelby 25-15, 25-13, 25-16
The champs are back in the undefeated semifinal.
Huntley Project swept Shelby 25-15, 25-13, 25-16 on Thursday night to advance to Friday night's undefeated semifinal. The two-time reigning champion Red Devils got a balanced attack from Emily Poole, Alana Graves and Josie Hasler, who finished with 16, 15 and 11 kills, respectively. Addy Hultgren posted 42 assists to lead the offense, which continues to be one of the best in the classification.
Graves also paced the defense with four kills, while Hasler and Poole had 14 digs apiece. Macee Murphy added 13 digs in the win. The Red Devils advance back to the undefeated semifinal against Joliet.
Shelby was held to no blocks and no aces, but Maddison Underdal had 14 kills and Bailey Johnson chipped in with 12 assists.
The Coyotes will play either Choteau or Anaconda in a loser-out match Friday at 4 p.m.
First-round matches
Joliet def. Anaconda 25-18, 25-23, 25-16
Shayla Webber and MaKenna Bushman had big games Thursday afternoon as Joliet swept past Anaconda 25-18, 25-23, 25-16 at the Class B state volleyball tournament in Bozeman.
Webber had 23 assists, 12 digs and an ace for the J-Hawks, while Bushman added 14 kills, three aces and 1.5 blocks. Skyler Wright played a key role with seven kills and nine digs in the win.
Isabell Saltenberger had six kills for Anaconda, while Logan Stetzner dished out 15 assists in the loss.
Anaconda will meet Choteau in a loser-out contest Friday at noon, while Joliet faces Townsend Thursday evening at 8 p.m. for the opportunity to advance to Friday night's undefeated semifinal.
Townsend def. Choteau 25-22, 26-24, 10-25, 25-23
Taylor Noyes had 29 assists and three blocks to help Townsend to a 25-22, 26-24, 10-25, 25-23 win over Choteau in the first round of the Class B state volleyball tournament at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Thursday.
Noyes set up a balanced Townsend attack: Peyton Vogel had 11 kills, Becca Payne had eight and Trinity Wilson added seven. Townsend finished with 33 kills as a team to go along with eight blocks and four aces. Vogel also had three blocks.
Choteau had 38 kills and eight aces in the match. Nicole Krone registered 10 kills, while Ada Bieler, Christine Funk and Soren Cummings each had two aces.
Townsend will play another match Thursday night when it meets Joliet. That game will be at 8 p.m., with the winner securing a place in Friday's undefeated semifinal match.
Choteau falls to loser-out play and will meet Anaconda at noon on Friday.
Shelby def. Florence 26-24,14-25, 25-23, 17-25, 15-10
In the best match of the opening round so far, Shelby outlasted Florence-Carlton in a five-set thriller to advance in the Class B state volleyball tournament in Bozeman. The Coyotes defeated the Falcons 26-24,14-25, 25-23, 17-25, 15-10.
Maddison Underdal had 19 kills, while Bailey Johnson chipped in with 13, leading the Coyotes' offensive attack. Johnson added 25 assists, 14 digs and three aces for Shelby, which had a total of 13 service aces in the win. Brielle Aklestad joined Johnson with three aces.
The Falcons were led by Sarah Hopcroft's 18 kills and Halle Christopherson's 23 assists and five aces but couldn't keep pace in the deciding set. Emma Stensrud added 11 kills and two blocks for the Falcons in the loss.
Florence meets Glasgow Friday morning in a 10 a.m. loser-out contest, while Shelby gets the daunting task of meeting Huntley Project on Thursday at 6 p.m. in the second round.
Huntley Project def. Glasgow 25-11, 25-12, 25-9
Emily Poole had 13 kills, Addy Hultgren added 25 assists, 19 digs and three aces and Huntley Project defeated Glasgow in straight sets -- 25-11, 25-12, 25-9 -- to open the Class B state volleyball tournament on Thursday.
The two-time defending state champion Red Devils were hitting on all cylinders Thursday morning, posting 31 team kills and only allowing 16 from the Scotties. Josee Krum had a pair of blocks for Huntley Project, which faces Shelby Thursday night at 6 p.m. with the winner advancing to the undefeated semifinal on Friday.
Glasgow, which was led by Taylor Pederson's five kills and Rachelle Glaser's nine assists, meets Florence-Carlton Friday at 10 a.m.
