The Townsend volleyball team punched their ticket to the Class B State Championship Friday night with a win over arch-nemesis Huntley Project 8-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-22 in Bozeman.

Huntley Project has won the Class B volleyball championship four out of the last five years.

Townsend has now made the Class B championship three years in a row. The last two appearances coming as the Bulldogs won their way through the loser’s bracket to eventually lose to Huntley Project.

“We are really excited about this win,” Bulldogs head coach Jill Flynn said.

Townsend came out scared and intimidated of the team across the net from them losing badly 25-8 in the first set.

“We came out really flat,” Flynn said. “But the girls fought back.”

Fight the Bulldogs did, wining the next two sets by a total margin of four points.

The Bulldogs watched as Huntley came out strong in the fourth set and built a five-point lead.

“We called a timeout and talked about our passing,” Flynn said. “We needed to start passing better.”

The Bulldogs returned to the floor inspired rattling off eight unanswered points. The set stayed even until Becky Moudree took over.

“I just figured it was time to do something,” Moudree laughed.

The 5 foot -9 senior spiked home three kills that gave Townsend the set and the match.

“This game means so much to us,” senior Siobhan Flynn said. “It’s nice to finally beat Huntley Project.”

The win advances Townsend to the Class B Championship today at 3 p.m. against the winner of the consolation game.

Huntley Project and Manhattan Christian will battle it out today at 11 a.m. with the winner advancing to take on Townsend in the Championship.

Reporter Derek Gengenbacher: 447-4070 or bigd.helenair@yahoo.com