Familiar foes Flathead, Glacier meet again

Glacier and Flathead have encountered each other quite a bit this season, and not just because the two schools are only separated by five miles.

The Bravette and Wolfpack volleyball teams will meet for the fourth time this year at 7 p.m. today at Flathead High School, just more than a week removed from their matchup at the Missoula Invitational.

“It’s always a really good matchup for crosstown,” Flathead coach Nicole Fairclough said. “I think it’s an awesome rivalry.”

Glacier has gotten the best of the Bravettes in two of the three previous matchups, winning at home and at the Missoula Invitational. Flathead beat the Wolfpack back in September at the Electric City Invitational in Great Falls.

But even given its success against the Bravettes to this point, Glacier coach Christy Harkins said her team is taking nothing for granted.

“We’ve been on a little bit of a losing streak, so we’re trying to turn that around,” Harkins said. “(Flathead has) made a couple changes, and it’s working well for them. It was nice to be able to see that (at the Missoula Invitational).”

Glacier’s most recent match, on Tuesday against Missoula Sentinel, ended in four-set defeat.

Flathead, on the other hand, enters the match against its rival brimming with optimism after an impressive fourth-place finish at the Missoula Invitational.

“We’ve not won many matches this season, so I think having such a successful tournament ... helps give them a lot of confidence and allows them two full days of playing to work out some of the inconsistencies and things we’ve struggled with this season,” Fairclough said.

The Bravettes have not competed since the Missoula Invitational, but Fairclough said she is not worried about a potential letdown after nearly a week away from game action.

“The girls definitely needed a little rest and some practices back to back,” she said. “It was good for them to play that much (in Missoula), but it also highlighted areas we need to work on as a team.”

As divisionals and the state tournament draw nearer, both coaches view tonight’s matchup as an opportunity to pick up momentum and refine inconsistencies.

Flathead will attempt to even the season series, while Glacier is out to spoil what Fairclough predicted will be an “emotional” senior night for the Bravettes.

“Crosstown is a great environment,” Harkins said. “It’s been a wonderful thing in the Valley here, and I know they’re looking forward to it.”