Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Rainee Watson, North Star volleyball

Postseason volleyball will begin on the Hi-Line later this weekend with the District 7C volleyball tournament in Fort Benton. Many teams will be looking to go on a run to qualify for the divisional tournament, so it's sure to be an exciting few days of volleyball on the Hi-Line.

North Star will be one of the teams competing in the tournament this weekend. While the Knights have not had the best season, North Star senior Rainee Watson believes they have the potential to make a run this weekend.

"I'm definitely looking forward to just playing and coming up because I think that a lot of teams underestimate us," Watson said. "But we have a lot to give and we've given a lot of good teams like Highwood, Fort Benton, Chinook and CJI a good run for their money so I'm excited for some good scrappy matches."

Watson plays setter for the Knights and is a leader on the team as a senior. She has been playing volleyball since the sixth grade when her current coach, Mackenzie Jenkins, got her into the sport. Even though she also competes in basketball and track for the Knights, volleyball has easily become her favorite sport.

"I love the competitiveness and the scrappiness," Watson said. "You just have to give it your all and I just love the determination that comes with it."

Once she is done with high school, Watson will attend Montana State University in Bozeman to complete her general education courses. She will then transfer into a dental hygiene program in either Great Falls or Sheridan. She hopes to continue playing volleyball during that time.

Before then, she will play in what might be her final high school volleyball matches this weekend in Fort Benton. This weekend will be a double-elimination tournament, except for the opening match. In that first match on Thursday at 9 a.m., Box Elder and Hays-Lodge Pole will go at it. The winner of that match will advance in the tournament while the loser will be eliminated.

Both teams finished at the bottom of the standings in the regular season. Hays-Lodge Pole enters the tournament as the No. 9 seed after going 0-16 in the regular season. Box Elder went 2-14 during the season to earn the tournament's No. 8 seed.

The winner of that first match will stay alive in the tournament and will go on to play Highwood later Thursday at noon. Highwood earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament after going 14-2 during the season.

Before that match, Fort Benton and Big Sandy will play in the second match of the day. Fort Benton enters the tournament as the No. 4 seed after going 11-5 during the season. The Big Sandy Pioneers will be the tournament's No. 5 seed after going 9-7 during the season, so this match should be a competitive outing.

The tournament will continue later Thursday afternoon with Chester-Joplin-Inverness playing Centerville. The CJI Hawks went 12-4 during the season to earn the tournament's No. 3 seed while Centerville went 7-9 to go into the tournament as the No. 6 seed.

Thursday's slate of matches will end with a match between Chinook and North Star. The Chinook Sugarbeeters will be the tournament's No. 2 seed after going 13-3 this season. The North Star Knights went 4-12 during the season to earn the tournament's No. 8 seed.

This tournament will run into the weekend with the championship match being held at 4 p.m. Saturday. It will be a tough weekend, especially for the lower-ranked seeds trying to defeat the odds. For a team like the Knights to overcome the odds and make an improbable run, Watson believes teamwork will be key.

"We need to stay positive with each other," Watson said. "We have to give it all for every ball, every last point and every play. Just all hard work and leave it out on the floor."

Watson and the North Star Knights will begin the District 7C tournament this Thursday in Fort Benton with a match against Chinook. Before they go up against the Sugarbeeters, Watson answered five questions for the Havre Daily News.

HDN: Can you reflect on your time in the North Star volleyball program?

Watson: "I am definitely very blessed to be in this volleyball program because our coach sets us to a really high standard. She really pushes us and I love being pushed as an athlete. To do my best in everything I do. I started off as a defensive player and then I became a setter when I got older. I just love my team and that's probably my favorite thing about it. It's just working hard for my teammates."

HDN: What is the most important thing you learned from your time in the program?

Watson: "The most important thing I've learned is definitely just to have heart. You have to have heart and hard work to be successful. You can't get down on yourself or else you're not just going to let yourself down but also your teammates."

HDN: What is the hardest part about volleyball?

Watson: "It's definitely a mental game. Just trying to stay positive the whole game. That's definitely the hardest part, but if you have good teammates like I do, it's not that bad."

HDN: You played in your final match at home last week, what were the emotions like?

Watson: "Definitely very emotional and I'm a little sad that we lost (to CJI) but that's the best game we've played all season long."

HDN: What have you made of your final season in high school volleyball?

Watson: "It definitely has been rough. We've only won a few games and we've lost a bunch of games but they've been very competitive. We have a lot of camaraderie and teamwork so I'm very excited going into districts because I think that we're an underdog to look out for."