BOZEMAN — The much-anticipated undefeated semifinal matches lived up to the hype Friday at the all-class state volleyball tournaments at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.
Two of the matches — Denton-Geyser-Stanford-Geraldine and Manhattan Christian in Class C and Jefferson and Huntley Project in Class B — went the distance, while Gallatin and Bozeman delivered a highly competitive four-set contest in Class AA and Bigfork flexed its muscles against Frenchtown in Class A.
In the end, D-G-S-G, Jefferson, Bigfork and Gallatin are each one step closer to winning state championships, as those four secured their spots in Saturday's title matches. Manhattan Christian, Huntley Project, Frenchtown and Bozeman still have title hopes; they'll just have to come back through the consolation bracket to get there.
Related:
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- 2026 all-class state volleyball scores and pairings
D-G-S-G def. Manhattan Christian 17-25, 25-16, 25-12, 13-25, 16-14
None of the first four sets of the Class C undefeated semifinal were particularly close, but D-G-S-G and Manhattan Christian made up for it in the fifth.
The teams were rarely, if ever, separated by more than two points during a back-and-forth fifth that saw big plays from the likes of Ashlyn Burley for Manhattan Christian and BriElla Becker for D-G-S-G. The Bearcats won match point on an incredible defensive effort that eventually led to the Eagles' misplaying a ball.
D-G-S-G didn't report stats for the undefeated semifinal, but the Bearcats, who remain unbeaten on the season, are headed to the Class C state championship for the second consecutive year. They lost to Circle in last year's final.
Burley had 18 kills to lead Manhattan Christian, which suffered its first loss of the year. The Eagles will try to regroup in the third-place match at 10 a.m. Saturday.
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Jefferson def. Huntley Project 25-22, 22-25, 17-25, 25-19, 15-10
Jefferson is aiming to make school history. The Panthers have never won a state volleyball championship in program history, but they're on the doorstep after Friday's five-set thriller over Huntley Project.
Allison Zawacki put down 25 kills and Ada Strauss added 22 for Jefferson, which has just one loss on the season.
Huntley Project, which got 21 kills from Sarah Windy Boy, will play in the third-place match at 10 a.m. Saturday. The winner of that one will then face Jefferson for the title.
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Bigfork def. Frenchtown 25-21, 25-19, 25-18
After playing a five-set thriller in the last match of the day Thursday, Bigfork carried that momentum into Friday.
The Valkyries were dominant in a quick sweep of Frenchtown in the Class A unbeaten semifinal. A balanced attack led by Reagan Waller (12 kills), Somer Campos (11) and Sophia Lowell (eight) kept Bigfork in control throughout the match and the Broncs on their heels.
Frenchtown will face either Polson in the third-place match at 10 a.m. Saturday. The winner will then advance to face Bigfork in the championship match, which will start at noon Saturday.
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Gallatin def. Bozeman 20-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-22
Gallatin and Bozeman are well-acquainted, and it goes beyond their crosstown rivalry — the Raptors and Hawks have now faced each other in four consecutive state tournaments. And once again Friday, Gallatin came out on the winning end.
The Raptors have won the past two state championships, defeating Bozeman in the undefeated semifinal last year and the title match in 2024. This go-around, Gallatin dropped the first set before winning three consecutive tight sets to advance to the championship match for the third consecutive year.
Miya Chase had a team-high 17 kills for the Raptors, while Kennedy Varda added 10 kills, four blocks and two service aces.
Lowe leFeber put down a match-high 22 kills for Bozeman, which will next play in the third-place match at 10 a.m. Saturday.
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