GREAT FALLS — In one of last Thursday's Eastern AA state volleyball play-in matches, the Great Falls CMR Rustlers took down Belgrade in straight sets to punch a ticket to the state tournament after losing in the same game last season.
The Rustlers will be making their first appearance in Bozeman since 2022.
"I went to state my freshman year, but it's nothing like my senior year," senior Malia Allen said Tuesday at CMR High School. "I'm just super excited to go with these people too because I love them so much."
"It was so fun," senior Rilee Mares said on the win over Belgrade. "Just to know that we were going to state, and then everyone was just so happy and the celebration out there was really fun."
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CMR currently holds an overall record of 21-5. Allen and Mares said this a confident group right now.
"We've all supported each other no matter what position we play or what changes we make," Allen said. "And I think we all just support each other as a team, and just love each other and love being around each other."
"Our team chemistry has grown and then we've all grown mentally and we've all gained more confidence individually," Mares said. "We're confident in each other's abilities too."
It's not just the players that are riding high currently, as coach Danielle Woods said she has a lot of faith in her team.
"You're going to have to play well, it's state volleyball for a reason," Woods said. "I have all the confidence in the world in them at this point. They just have to go out and have the confidence in themselves and each other. They have all the tools they need, so I'm excited to go see what they can do."
The recipe to contend for a title for CMR isn't complicated, as Allen, Mares and Woods say.
"If you don't have good energy, you're not going to win," Allen said. "If you don't support each other, you're not going to win. That's what I always go by.
"We're just very excited."
"Anything could happen honestly for anyone, so we're just super excited, super confident," Mares said. "We're ready for any hard games and we're just ready to go for whatever is thrown at us."
"If they take care of their own job, work together, then I think it can be a pretty special week," Woods said.
CMR's quest for their first Class AA state title since 2021 begins Wednesday at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse as the Rustlers begin play against Missoula Sentinel at 4 p.m.
