The Stillwater Christian boys and girls carry top seeds into the Montana Christian Athletic Association state soccer and volleyball tournaments as the competitions kick off Thursday at Heritage Christian School in Bozeman.

The Stillwater girls volleyball team enters as the defending state champions, rallying after a semifinal loss last season to beat Great Falls Foothills Christian twice to claim its seventh consecutive title. Seniors Dorothy Smith and Adrianna Lambert lead a talented squad that played above its level all season. The Cougars, the top seed from the West, open against Yellowstone County Homeschool at 11:30 a.m. Thursday and could get a rematch against Foothills, the top seed from the East, in the semifinals. The championship matches will be played on Saturday afternoon.

The Stillwater boys soccer team lost 4-2 to Heritage in the state title game last year, ending a 12-year run at the top of the MCAA. Seniors Darren Kauffman and Isaac Neumann lead a team that has the ability to reclaim the trophy after a sterling regular season that earned the Cougars the top seed in the West. Stillwater will open play against Billings Christian, the East’s third seed, at 11 a.m. Thursday. Heritage will again hold the top seed on the other side, opening against Great Falls Homeschool, with a rematch possible for the championship game on Saturday.