By Tiffany L. Rehbein
The Chinook Sugarbeeters' volleyball team, the defending District 2-B champions, will host a 10-team Chinook Showcase Friday and Saturday.
Class B schools in Shelby, Cut Bank, Choteau, Fort Benton, Chinook, Malta, Glasgow, Wolf Point, and Class C schools in Chester and Stanford will play at the tournament.
The Sugarbeeters are returning six girls with varsity experience.
"We are not really rebuilding, but we have to find our identity and see what our strengths are," said head coach Paula Molyneaux.
Seniors Amanda Shoen, Caroline Moores, Katie Hoffman, and junior Renda Birky, the only legitimate height at 5-foot-11, are returning starters from last year's team.
Sophomore Kelsie Whitney and senior Sadie Fuglevand at setter also played varsity last season.
Senior Jessica Frank, juniors Lindsey Erskine and Jacy Sheppard, and sophomore Katie Malsam round out the 'Beeters' roster.
The tournament will open with pool play Friday. Chinook will face District 1-B Cut Bank at 10 a.m. They will play Chester at noon, Malta at 3 p.m., and Choteau at 5 p.m.
Tournament seedings on Saturday will be determined by the results of pool play.
Glasgow, Choteau, and Wolf Point, the "perennial powers," will be tough again this year, Molyneaux said.
"It will be pretty balanced," she continued. "It will be an anybody could beat anybody type of day."
