MISSOULA – Missoula Sentinel has owned the volleyball courts in the Garden City recently, but on Thursday night, Missoula Hellgate ruled.
The Knights came back after dropping the first set to beat the Spartans 3-1. Second-year head coach Matty Hancock believed it was his program’s first win over Sentinel since 2011.
The great night for Hellgate didn’t start great. Sentinel stormed through the first set easily, winning 25-13. But the Knights completely dominated the second, crushing the Spartans 25-5.
The two rivals then played much closer in the final two sets, but Hellgate held the lead for most of the evening. The Knights finished off the third set 25-20 and then celebrated on their rival’s home court after taking the final set 25-19.
The Knights picked up their second crosstown win of the week after sweeping Big Sky on Tuesday. Hellgate improves to 4-6 in Western AA play. Two-time defending state champion Sentinel falls to 3-6 in the conference.
You can watch the entire match between the Knights and Spartans on the KPAX Prep Game of the Week, after the 10 p.m. News Saturday night.
Sentinel will play the final crosstown match of the season in Missoula next Tuesday at Big Sky. Then all of the Garden City teams will host the Missoula Volleyball Invite on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 18 and 19.
