Postseason volleyball starts in Rudyard

The District 6C East has been as competitive as any volleyball conference around this season, and for many seasons in the past. And that's what makes the district tournament so exciting.

On Thursday morning, the 2013 District 6C East tournament gets underway in Rudyard. And with three spots in the Northern C Divisional up for grabs, the next two days in Rudyard should be intense and dramatic.

The Chinook Sugarbeeters captured the 6C East regular season championship, losing just once in conference play all year long. But with the North Star Knights and Big Sandy Pioneers right behind them, it's hard to call Chinook a clear-cut favorite to capture the district title this weekend.

The Knights suffered just two conference losses this season, while the Pioneers had just three setbacks in league play, and Chinook, North Star and Big Sandy all spent the fall beating each other up on the court, and they'll likely do the same again this weekend.

Chinook(7-1, 13-1) is looking to rebound from a tough 2012 season, in which it didn't get out of district play. But that shouldn't be a problem this weekend. The Beeters are led by senior middle hitter Makhayla Farmer, who's had an outstanding senior season in which she leads the 6C East in kills and blocks. Emily Dennis and Hannah Weber are also standouts for the Beeters, who have a lot of depth to go along with star players.

North Star (6-2, 5-3), which won a district title a season ago, and came within one match of reaching the 2012 Class C state tournament, will have home-court advantage this weekend. The Knights, like Chinook, are deep and talented, with seniors Bettie Carlon and Melissa Pester leading the way offensively. Sophomore Graysen Spicher has become an outstanding setter, while the Knights rely on veteran leadership from Tylynn Rettig and Delainey Spicher.

Meanwhile, Big Sandy (5-3, 9-4) is every bit as capable of winning the league title this weekend. The Pioneers are an athletic and senior-laden team, who made a great run of their own in 2012. Senior Molly Herron, Kaylie Gilman, Brooke Leader and Shelby Gasvoda are just part of an experienced Big Sandy squad which has the capability to run the table in Rudyard.

The Chester/J-I Hawks (2-6, 3-11), who play the Hays-Lodge Pole Thunderbirds (0-8, 0-15) in the first match Thursday morning, have had a tough season. C/J-I is used to being a volleyball power, but the 2013 campaign has been a learning year and a rebuilding type of season for the young Hawks. Still, the season starts over and records are thrown out the window in tournament play, and led by standout Denerey Haaland and youthful star Alixx Goldhahn, the Hawks could surprise people this weekend, and they'll certainly be a tough out.

As for the bracket, Chinook earned a first-round bye, and will await the winner of the Hawks and Thunderbirds. The big first-round match will pit North Star and Big Sandy against one another Thursday afternoon with the winner squaring off against either Chinook, C/J-I or HLP Thursday night in the winner's bracket semifinal.

The tournament picks up Friday at 12 p.m. with the fourth-place match, followed by the third-place match 30 minutes later. The 6C East title match is set for 6 p.m. Friday and a second championship match would be played 30 minutes later if needed.

The 2013 District 6C East tournament gets underway at 11 a.m. Thursday and all of the action will take place in Rudyard. The top three teams will advance to the Northern C Divisional which is slated for Nov. 7-9 in Conrad.