BOZEMAN — The all-class state volleyball tournaments continue Friday at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on the campus of Montana State University.
Loser-out matches kicked things off at 10 a.m., and one-loss teams will continue playing throughout the afternoon. The undefeated semifinals — Bozeman vs. Galaltin in Class AA, Frenchtown vs. Bigfork in Class A, Huntley Project vs. Jefferson in Class B, and Manhattan Christian vs. D-G-S-G- in Class C — are scheduled for 6 p.m.
The fourth-place matches, slated to begin at 8 p.m., will conclude Friday's action.
Related: 2026 all-class state volleyball scores and pairings
MTN Sports' Alec Bofinger and Slim Kimmel are on-site to provide updates Friday afternoon and evening. In case you missed it, here is our tracker from Thursday.
We'll have updates every 15 minutes or so, with the most-recent posts at the top, so refresh often.
9:03 p.m. | Polson stays alive
Polson made quick work of Laurel in the Class A fourth-place match, sweeping the Locomotives 25-15, 25-14, 25-17. The Pirates will place Frenchtown in the third-place match at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Friday's remaining fourth-place matches are still in progress, but we're wrapping up our live updates. We'll update the pairings when those matches go final.
8:04 p.m. | Jefferson takes down Huntley Project
Jefferson will be playing for the Class B state championship. The Panthers defeat Huntley Project in a five-set thriller in the Class B undefeated semifinal.
Jefferson will play in the state title match at noon tomorrow with a chance to win the first state volleyball championship in program history.
7:44 p.m. | D-G-S-G, Gallatin move into title matches
What a set between D-G-S-G and Manhattan Christian. The teams were rarely, if ever, separated by more than two points and traded big plays throughout. The Bearcats, thanks to an incredible defensive play on match point, got a 16-14 win in Set 5.
Gallatin got the best of its crosstown rival Bozeman, as well. The Raptors, winners of the past two Class AA state titles, got a four-set win to get back into the championship match.
Jefferson and Huntley Project the last unbeaten semi in progress, and they're going to a fifth set.
7:29 p.m. | Class C going 5
After D-G-S-G dominated Sets 2 and 3, Manhattan Christian controlled Set 4, so the Bearcats and Eagles are in a decisive fifth set on the Class Court.
In Class B, Huntley Project has seized control and now leads Jefferson 2-1. The Panthers are up 9-4 in the fourth set, though.
7:17 p.m. | Bigfork sweeps into championship
Some Campos just put down match point for Bigfork, and the Valkyries are the first team to secure a spot in the state championship. The Valkyries sweep Frenchtown and will play for the Class A state title at noon Saturday.
And Gallatin just took a 2-1 lead on Bozeman with a 26-24 Set 3 win.
7 p.m. | Huntley Project evens it up with Jefferson
Wow! Huntley Project rallies to win the second set against Jefferson. I think it was Karleigh Lindeen with set point for Project. The Red Devils looked to be on the ropes, but it's all even at one set apiece now.
6:52 p.m. | Bigfork in control
Bigfork has gone up 2-0 on Frenchtown and has seemed to be in control most of the way. Raegan Waller just put down set point for the Valkyries in the second. Jefferson also nearing a 2-0 lead on Huntley Project.
D-G-S-G (easily) and Gallatin (narrowly) won their second sets to pull even with Manhattan Christian and Bozeman, respectively.
6:36 p.m. | Volleyball players are tough
Volleyball players are just built different. I'm pretty sure I just saw one take a kill off the face and not bat an eye. I don't think I would have the courage to go after some of these balls!
Anyway, Jefferson took the first set over Huntley Project. The Panthers have just one loss on the season — to Huntley Project in the undefeated semifinal of last week's Southern B divisional tournament.
D-G-S-G and Gallatin, both trailing 1-0, have second-set leads.
6:27 p.m. | Bozeman takes early advantage over Gallatin
Bozeman goes up 1-0 on crosstown rival Gallatin with a 25-20 win in Set 1.
The Hawks are the No. 1 seed out of the Eastern AA and boast two of the top players in the state. Cady Schneider, a University of San Diego commit, has been on a tear during the state tournament, and Lowe leFeber, who has committed to Oregon State University, put down a monster kill in the first set against the Raptors. Both Schneider and leFeber are just juniors.
Bigfork took the first set over Frenchtown in Class A, while Jefferson and Huntley Project are locked in a tight first set in Class B.
6:21 p.m. | Manhattan Christian wins Set 1 vs. D-G-S-G
Manhattan Christian is the first team to take a set, as the Eagles top D-G-S-G 25-17 in the first set of the Class C undefeated semifinal.
Both teams entered with unblemished records.
6:17 p.m. | Undefeated semifinals under way
All four undefeated semifinals have started, and wowza, there's some energy in Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.
Here's a photo from up top of the Class C (far) and A courts. We're back in our post now and will have more consistent updates from all four matches.
5:44 p.m. | Through the 4 p.m. loser-out matches
Sorry for the delay. Had to pivot to update the travel delay for the Montana State football team. ICYMI, the Bobcats will now play Northern Colorado at 5 p.m. Saturday instead of noon as previously scheduled.
Back to volleyball, Polson eliminated Billings Central on the Class A court. The Pirates got a 25-21, 25-19, 26-24 sweep and will play Laurel in the fourth-place match at 8 p.m.
Florence beat Fairfield in four sets, so the Falcons will play Shepherd at 8 tonight.
Hellgate also beat crosstown rival Sentinel in four. The Knights will meet Great Falls CMR in the AA fourth-place match.
Belt got past C-J-I and will next play Circle in the fourth-place match at 8 p.m. That has the potential to be a fun one.
5 p.m. | Belt takes 2-0 lead on C-J-I
Belt is the first team in these 4 p.m. matches to win two sets. The Huskies, who are making their fifth consecutive appearance at the Class C state tournament, lead C-J-I 2-0. The Hawks are out to a 10-7 advantage in the third set, though.
Like Sentinel and Hellgate, Florence and Fairfield are knotted at 1-1. The Falcons lead the pivotal third set 12-5.
4:48 p.m. | Polson takes Set 1 vs. Billings Central
Polson can be a pretty impressive squad. The Pirates, the Western A champions, just got a 25-21 win over Billings Central, the Eastern A champ, in the first set to take a 1-0 lead. The Rams, of course, are the two-time reigning state champion in Class A.
Missoula Sentinel, meanwhile, dominated the second set against Missoula Hellgate, 25-11, to even the match at one set apiece.
4:28 p.m. | Updating the 4 p.m. matches
Missoula Hellgate, Florence and Belt have taken 1-0 leads in the 4 p.m. loser-out matches. Class A is (again) lagging behind the other courts, and Polson has an 8-6 lead on Billings Central in the first set.
3:58 p.m. | Laurel survives
The Locomotives outlasted Columbia Falls in a five-set thriller 17-25, 25-18, 26-24, 20-25, 15-13 to advance to tonight's fourth-place match in Class A.
Up next are the 4 p.m. loser-out matches: Hellgate vs. Sentinel, Polson vs. Billings Central, Florence vs. Fairfield and Belt vs. C-J-I.
3:42 p.m. | Laurel, C-Falls going 5
Columbia Falls held off elimination with a Set 4 win over Laurel, so the Wildkats and Locomotives are going to a decisive fifth set. That's the only one of the 2 p.m. matches still in progress, as teams in the 4 p.m. matches are starting to warm up on the other courts.
Following those 4 p.m. matches will be the four undefeated semifinals at 6. Here's a brief look ahead to those matches and a mini-feature on Gallatin's Kennedy Varda.
3:25 p.m. | CMR sweeps Belgrade
Great Falls CMR swept Belgrade, so the Rustlers will play in tonight's 8 p.m. match.
Shepherd, leading Shelby 2-1, has taken control of the fourth set and currently leads 19-8.
Laurel, after winning the third set to take a 2-1 lead on Columbia Falls, leads the fourth 10-8.
3:09 p.m. | Circle advances; Shelby/Shepherd going 4
Two-time defending champion Circle just finished off a sweep of Melstone to extend its season. On the Class B court, Shelby held off elimination and forced a fourth set with Shepherd with a 26-24 win in the third.
Meanwhile, in Class A, Laurel and Columbia Falls are tied at one set apiece. Laurel is leading the third 21-20.
2:44 p.m. | Circle goes up 2-0
It's good to see Emma Murphy back on the court for the Circle Wildcats. Murphy, now a 5-foot-2 senior, first caught our attention at the 2024 state tournament due to her explosive jumping ability, but she missed last season while recovering from a knee injury.
She's back in the rotation for Circle, which just went up 2-0 on Melstone. Kate Nasner hammered home set point.
2:25 p.m. | Update on the 2 p.m. matches
Great Falls CMR (over Belgrade), Columbia Falls (over Laurel), Shepherd (over Shelby) and Circle (Melstone) each won the first sets of their loser-out matches that started at 2 p.m.
Shepherd and Circle are the reigning state champions in Class B and C, respectively.
2:02 p.m. | Setting Friday's scene
We're through the first two loser-out matches of Friday's action. Here's who staved off elimination:
Class AA
Great Falls CMR def. Kalispell Glacier 25-20, 25-14, 25-20
Missoula Sentinel def. Missoula Big Sky 25-11, 25-18, 25-19
Class A
Laurel def. Miles City 25-22, 25-15, 25-19
Billings Central def. Havre 25-14, 25-21, 25-19
Class B
Shepherd def. Choteau 25-14, 25-22, 25-12
Fairfield def. Plains 25-21,19-25, 25-11, 26-24
Class C
Melstone def. Jordan 21-25, 25-23, 25-19, 15-25, 15-10
C-J-I def. Valley Christian 25-11, 25-13, 25-16
To put a bow on Thursday's action, we wanted to highlight some of the big performances that helped teams advance to the undefeated semifinal.
BriElla Becker combined for 36 kills in D-G-S-G's two wins on Thursday, including putting down 21 in the Bearcats' sweep of Circle. Becker is also a standout basketball player at D-G-S-G and has committed to play in college at California Baptist, an NCAA Division I program located in Riverside, Calif.
Frenchtown's Rachel Walls also recorded 21 kills in the Broncs' five-set win over Polson in Thursday's second round. She also recorded 26 digs in the match, and teammate Ryan Lucier had 24. Both girls are headed to the University of Montana for college — Walls to play volleyball and Lucier to play softball.
And two big hitters will meet in the Class AA undefeated semifinal tonight. Bozeman's Cady Schneider had 34 kills in two matches Thursday, including 14 in the first round against Kalispell Glacier and 20 versus Missoula Hellgate in the second round.
Gallatin's Kennedy Varda had a 20-kill match against Missoula Big Sky and then had eight kills in the Raptors' win over Belgrade.
