Arlee and Charlo meet twice in district tournament and battle

for championship

CHARLO - The Arlee and Charlo volleyball teams have gotten to know one another quite well this season.

Both faced one another on their respective home courts during the regular season, then they met face to face again in the undefeated match and the championship match of the district tournament this weekend in Charlo.

There's even a chance the two schools might see each once more in the divisional tournament, as Charlo won the divisional crown and Arlee got the No. 2 seed.

"I think if we got our full team back we could give them a run for their money," Arlee head coach Brian Big Sam said.

The Scarlets were without senior Maria Pablo who was sidelined from the district tournament with a slight concussion. Then they lost senior Melissa Ivanoff after her previously separated shoulder popped out a second time.

"She just kind of overdid it," Big Sam, who hopes both players will be back for the divisional tournament in Butte, said.

Without some of his players, Big Sam had to shuffle the line up, but the Warriors still came away with a 3-0 win over St. Regis, 25-8, 25-11, 25-23 in their first game of districts on Friday.

"A lot of the teams stepped up and a lot of them have improved since we've played them," Big Sam said. "They all played as a team."

Arlee lost to Charlo in the match of the undefeated Saturday morning, 3-0 with scores of 25-21, 25-8, 25-14.

"Charlo's hitting has come a long way since we played them first," Big Sam said. "I had to throw in other girls that weren't use to playing them."

The win clinched a divisional spot for Charlo and a spot in the championship game.

"They definitely were focused and that was good with the [Charlo Vikings playoff] football game going on," Charlo head coach Sheryl Kain. "It was nice, they played well together. This is when you want to play your best. I'm really proud of them, they've came a long way."

To get to their game against Arlee, Charlo had to knock off Hot Springs in their first game on Friday, 3-0, with scores of 25-15, 25-23, 25-10.

"I'm extremely happy with how it turned out," Kain said. "All of their hitting has definitely improved. They've all learned how to move together."

Arlee bounced Hot Springs 3-0, to get out of the lower bracket and into the championship game, 25-15, 25-19, 25-19. Junior Becca Nelson led the team with 14 kills while senior Cassandra Kline had 22 digs. That set up a rematch of the two teams Saturday afternoon.

"In the second game they came around and did what they could," Big Sam said. "I'm very happy with their performance."

Arlee pressured Charlo, but the Lady Vikings won the district crown with a 3-0 win, 25-16, 25-21, 25-19. Junior Dawn Blevins had 22 assists for Charlo, and junior Kinley Pope paced the office with eight kills.

"It's a good confidence booster to have won first place," Kain said. "You get to play a lower seed [in the divisional tournament]. I think the competition is going to be very tough."

Despite the loss, Big Sam saw positives from his Scarlets.

"They were very focused," he said. "They knew they needed to stay focused."

Nelson and Kline both had five blocks in the match,

Both teams will need to be focused ahead in the divisional tournament, but they should also keep an eye looking over their shoulder because they may have to play one another again for a fifth time this season.

And if that is the case, anything could happen.