BOZEMAN — After watching crosstown foe Bozeman battle back to tie the match between undefeated teams at a set apiece, Gallatin head volleyball coach Erika Gustavsen encouraged her team to up the tempo.
"Our goal going into the third (set) was to put our foot on the gas, stay consistent on our side," said Gustavsen. "I think we did a really good job of limiting (Bozeman's) runs and going on runs of our own. I was proud that we did it not only in the third but the fourth."
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The defending Class AA champion and top-ranked Raptors stormed to wins by double digits in the third and fourth sets to earn a 3-1 victory (25-23, 22-25, 25-15, 25-14) over the second-ranked Hawks on Tuesday evening at Gallatin High, remain undefeated at 14-0, and move into sole possession of first place in the Eastern AA.
Makayla Coleman led the Raptors with 15 kills, Miya Chase added 12 and Kennedy Varda had 10 as well as four aces. Coleman also notched seven blocks. Camile Falk paced Gallatin's defense with 15 digs.
It was the first meeting between the Raptors and Hawks since the 2024 Class AA state championship where the Raptors prevailed in two matches and 10 sets to win their first title.
The Raptors won their first 20 matches in 2024 and are now looking to beat that streak.
"We work really hard to get where we're at," said Gustavsen. "Nothing has been luck, they've put in a lot of time. We know that there's kind of a target on our back. We accept that and the great part is they've responded collectively as a team of taking that on."
Gallatin and Bozeman will play again in the regular-season finale on Oct. 30.
