6C East tourney will be exciting

The journey that started with hot practices inside gymnasiums all over the Hi-Line back in August, was all a buildup for this week. For six local volleyball teams, the time is now.

On Thursday and Friday in Chinook, Chinook, North Star, Chester-Joplin-Inverness, Big Sandy, Box Elder and Hays-Lodge Pole will duke it out for the District 6C East volleyball title. The tournament, which will send the top three teams on to the Northern C next week, starts Thursday morning and runs through Friday night's championship match.

The host Sugarbeeters have had a stranglehold on the 6C East title for years now, and they are looking to make sure it stays that way. Chinook (14-0) completed its second straight season without a loss, and the Beeters, led by Kelsey Mathon, Taylor Neibauer, Kourtney Hanson and the deepest roster in the 6C, are the top seed at this week's tournament.

Chinook has a bye in the first round and will await the winner of the Box Elder/Big Sandy first round match. The Bears (8-7), who have come on strong in recent weeks led by Maddie Wolf Chief and Tia Russell, earned the No. 4 seed and will battle the Pioneers (4-10), who get plenty of production from Jaylyn Cline and Jenna Leader. Big Sandy and Box Elder split during the regular season, so their meeting Thursday should be a good one.

On the other side of the bracket, the North Star Knights (13-3) have had yet another strong season. Their two conference losses have come against Chinook, and the second-seeded Knights are a heavy favorite to battle the Beeters for the 6C East title. North Star has a balanced team, but Sheridan Spicher has been a standout all season long. The Knights have talent throughout their lineup,though, and like Chinook, their depth is a key factor.

North Star will play the winner of Thursday morning's second first-round match. That match puts third-seeded CJI (8-6) against HLP. The Hawks started a little slow this season, but they have played really well the last month, as Kimberli Ghekiere has become a force at the net, while Khloe Kamerzell and Peyton Hawks have also been strong. HLP is winless on the season and will have a hard time keeping up with CJI in that match.

The winners of the first-round matches will play the last two matches of the first session Thursday. The tournament continues with two loser-out matches Thursday night, then resumes Friday morning with the winner's bracket semifinal set for 10 a.m. The winner of that match would have to be defeated twice in order to lose the championship. Friday's third-place match is scheduled for 4 p.m., and the championship match will start approximately 30 minutes after the third-place match ends. If necessary, a second championship match would be played Friday night.

The District 6C East tournament starts at 10 a.m. Thursday, with all of the action taking place inside the Chinook gymnasium. The top three teams advance to next week's Northern C tournament in Conrad.