Columbia Falls flew under the radar last volleyball season.

The Wildkats entered last year’s state tournament as a No. 3 seed out of the West, nearly lost in the first round and needed a narrow five-set win in the semifinals on the way to the Class A state championship. Improbable as it may have been, there was no doubting Columbia Falls had talent.

There are no hiding places for the Wildkats this year and, with nearly every player back from the championship squad, no doubt who enters the season as the title favorite in Class A.

Even with high expectations and the eyes of the state on their crown, there’s little talk of championships in Columbia Falls this season.

“We’re trying to keep the lid on talking about repeating and defending our title,” Wildkats coach Jessy Matthews said.

“This is a new year. We’ve talked about how they earned it last year and that’s theirs to keep forever. That banner in the gym is not going anywhere. But, this is a brand new year and we’re playing with different circumstances. We were able to fly under the radar a bit last year. This year, that’s not the case. That state championship is obviously our end goal. We know it’s not just given to us. We have to work just as hard, if not harder, than last year to get it.”

The Wildkats will again possess one of the tallest teams in the state, a strength that allows the team to exploit a host of weaknesses in opposing defenses.

“We’ve got three 6-footers and our setter is 5-11,” Matthews said. “Even our right side, who’s not as tall, can jump. That’s huge. That’s obviously something you can’t teach. You can only help them develop their skills being tall.

“Just like last year our hitting is strong. They’ve been working all summer to improve that. We’ve got great servers too. Every one of the girls on the team could step in at any time and serve when we need them to.”

All-state setter Cydney Finberg, a fourth-year starter, adds an extra attacker and blocker to the tall front line that features all-state middle blocker Morgan Stenger and at least three other girls listed at 5-11 or taller. Finberg, who has committed to play for the University of Great Falls next fall, is one of the tallest setters in the state, allowing her to keep defenses off guard by passing or attacking in her role while adding to a devastating block on defense.

“Her blocking has improved every year,” Matthews said. “We’re super lucky that she can jump up there and do things with the ball that shorter setters or back row setters can’t do.”

To make sure their impressive front line is working at top form, the Wildkats have been working on passing more than anything this fall, which should keep from lapses when taller players rotate off the court or into the back row.

Columbia Falls showed its strength in the Northwest-Southwest Tipoff Tournament earlier this season, going undefeated in 10 matches at the ultra-competitive season kickoff. The top three teams in the state last season came from the West.

On the other side of the North Valley, Whitefish is seeing a resurgence under veteran coach Jackie Fuller, who is entering the second year of her second stint as head coach of the Bulldogs after heading the program from 1994-2010, leading the team to five state titles in six years from 2001-06.

The Bulldogs made the state tournament last season for the first time since 2011, falling just short of the fourth-place match in a loss to eventual-runner up Corvallis.

“They saw that hard work, commitment and drive will pay off,” Fuller said. “Now, they have to take that next level in the commitment, that drive and the hard work. With that next step, then things will pay off.”

Defense will be a strength of the Bulldogs who look strong early in the season, losing just twice at the Tipoff Tournament.

“Our defense starts with our block,” Fuller said. “We have to get things stopped up there. We’re making (our back row) work hard right now. We can get that stopped by our people up front getting a block for us.

“We will emphasize that defense wins championships. So we will practice a lot on defense and have high expectations about how defense needs to be played.

“It’s the funnest part of the game. Offense is great but everybody gets excited when somebody digs a ball that they thought was down or runs a ball down that they thought was gone. That’s where the excitement starts is defense.”

This will also the first time in nearly two years that the team will open the season with a home court, spending all but a few matches on the road last season while construction was finishing on Whitefish High School.

“I didn’t realize it, but our very first day of practice, when the girls were able to actually come into our locker room and have a home, have a place,” Fuller said. “Go out onto our floor and the floor is brand new, it’s painted different, they went out there and they were totally embraced by it. They have embraced being at home and being in their own setting, which has been wonderful.”

Polson returns an experienced team with a world of speed, returning seven players that have seen varsity time, including a pair of all-conference hitters in seniors Chadelle Smith and Haley Fyant.

Many of the returning players have experience with deep runs into the playoffs, albeit in other sports. That year-round training excites coach Patty Luetzen.

“That makes a richer kid for you as a coach, when you have multi-sport athletes,” Luetzen said.

“Softball players have great arms. There’s things about basketball that create jumpers, I take a look at Kyler Lundeen, her tennis has created some real interesting opportunities for us as a coach.

Their basketball experience, their spring sports experience, they come in and I feel like they had two other seasons of volleyball. That’s something I’ve always been a real big fan of. “

The Pirates should have a great serving team, and their defense should be able to get to any ball with speed to burn.

“I’ve coached 25 years, this is the fastest team I’ve ever had (as far as) physical floor speed,” Luetzen said. “We have to find a way with our coaching staff to make sure that is a standout as a team skill at the end of the season.

“We’ve been working on our serve receive. That’s more of a repetitive discipline, so it’s something we spend a lot of time on, and yet, any time we have an opportunity to put game speed in, it’s so fun to watch.”

The Pirates went 3-7 at the Tipoff Tournament to start the season, beating Dillon in a crossover game.

Class B

Only one district 7B team made the state playoffs a year ago, with Thompson Falls losing in three matches in Bozeman.

Now entering its second year in Class B, Libby is looking to change that narrative this fall with one of the best teams its had in awhile.

“We’ve spent a lot of time in the gym but also some time out of the gym with team bonding activities,” Libby coach Cindy Ostrem-Johnston said. “The kids seem to have a great time together. They’re a fun group of kids. That’s really important in volleyball.”

The Loggers won the Mission Tip-Off Tournament, defeating six other teams from the Western division in the process. With six returning players from a year ago and the addition of 6-foot-1 Brooklyn Rainer to the front line, Libby could make a run to the state tournament for the first time since 2009. Their roster bodes well for the future too, with no seniors on this year’s squad.

“We’ve got more height this year than we’ve had in a long time,” Ostrem-Johnston said. “We’ll be a lot stronger in the front row. We have some tough servers all the way around, some good back row kids too. We have a pretty good balance.”

Elsewhere in the conference, Eureka punched above its weight at the Tipoff Tournament in Whitefish, finishing third in its pool among the predominantly Class A field, and Troy has a senior-laden team looking to finish near the top of the league again. Bigfork beat Shelby to open its season last Thursday.