1. 2015: Flathead notches crosstown sweep

There will be bigger, more important matches later in the year — and even a rematch next month — but there is nothing quite like tonight, when Glacier treks south to the old barn on 4th Avenue West.

“Flathead’s gym is awesome for crosstown,” Glacier volleyball coach Christy Harkins said. “It’s so close and personal and loud. They don’t get environments like that to play in … ever, except for crosstown.”

“Really, the old gym at Flathead is just made for these types of games,” Bravettes coach Courtney Baker added. “It should be fun.”

Flathead hosts round one of crosstown today at 7 p.m.

Flathead (2-9, 1-3 Western AA) won both crosstown matches a year ago, their first wins in the series since 2012, but the Bravettes’ season got off to a rocky start when senior middle blocker Alyssa Wisher suffered a season-ending injury early in the year.

Baker said she believes the Bravettes only fully recovered from the loss of Wisher — both on and off the court — last week. Flathead won its first conference match of the year last time out, a five-game victory over Missoula Hellgate last Thursday.

“I knew she was a great player, I knew she was competitive,” Baker said of Wisher. “But she was the competitive glue to that team.

“It just took us a while. It’s tough when you lose your friend and your teammate.”

Baker was forced to switch from a three-blocker formation to a more traditional two-blocker set, anchored by seniors Tiana Johnson and Allie Gagnon. Johnson was a second team all-conference honoree a year ago and is the Bravettes’ most dangerous hitter.

Wisher’s void, at least partially, is being filled by 13-year-old freshman Julia Burden, who has earned significant playing time as an outside hitter in Flathead’s new formation.

Meanwhile, Glacier (8-6, 3-2) has put together a resurgent season after a disappointing 2015 campaign. The Wolfpack posted back-to-back unbeaten conference seasons from 2013-14 before going 15-11 and losing in a play-in match before the state tournament a year ago.

League-leading Missoula Sentinel swept the Wolfpack at home on Tuesday night, a loss that left Harkins sorely disappointed in her squad.

“The sun comes up, it’s a new day,” she said. “We talked about it afterwards and the last thing we said is ‘now it’s gone and we have to move on.’ The games come pretty quick, you have to have a short memory.”

Glacier has one of the tallest front lines in the conference, led by 6-foot-1 all-conference senior Nikki Krueger. She’s joined up front by promising sophomore Kali Gulick (6-2) and senior Abi Fiske (6-0).

The Wolfpack was plagued by errors Tuesday night, specifically from the service line, and Harkins is hoping a return to fundamentals serve Glacier well in a hostile environment.

“Missing fewer than 14 serves would help,” Harkins quipped. “We have to serve and pass. We didn’t do either of those things on Tuesday.

“Whenever it’s going to be loud, crazy and intense, you need to stick to fundamentals.”