High School Volleyball Teams Head to Bozeman for State Championships

Thirty-two high school volleyball teams will converge on the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at Montana State University in Bozeman this Thursday, marking the start of a pursuit of state championship hardware.

The tournament, which begins with opening-round matches at 10 a.m., serves as a proving ground for a season defined by both established dynasties and hungry challengers looking to disrupt the status quo.

In the Class AA bracket, Gallatin enters the tournament seeking a three-peat. The path, however, is far from certain. Gallatin lost twice this season to rival Bozeman, and Great Falls CMR has proven capable of competing with the top teams, too. The Western AA has not won a championship since Helena Capital in 2020.

Class A competition looks different as Billings Central seeks its third straight state title. The Rams are playing in the tournament after replacing an enormously productive graduating class. A deep field of challengers, including Laurel, Havre, Polson, Bigfork, and Columbia Falls, are looking to dethrone the Rams.

Class B features the reigning Class B state champion Shepherd, but the classification is defined by the return of Huntley Project. Huntley Project is back in the state tournament bracket after missing last year’s event, an absence that snapped a run of 25 consecutive appearances.

Teams are competing for the top spot, particularly after Jefferson won the Southern B divisional this past weekend, meaning Shepherd must beat multiple opponents to repeat.

The Class C field features the last five state champions. While two-time reigning champion Circle enters, they face a bracket loaded with parity. Manhattan Christian won three straight prior to Circle’s back-to-back run. Teams like Belt and Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine round out a bracket that will challenge Circle’s quest for a three-peat.

The tournament structure requires teams to play a rigorous schedule, with championship matches set for Saturday at noon. If a second match is required to determine a winner, those contests are scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday.

The intensity of the weekend often comes down to depth and the ability to maintain consistency under the high-pressure environment of the Fieldhouse. As teams prepare for the opening serve, the focus shifts from regular-season records to the immediate reality of a tournament bracket where a single loss can end a season.

For the programs seeking repeat titles, the challenge is maintaining the focus that brought them to this point; for the challengers, it is the opportunity to write a new chapter in Montana volleyball history.