The Townsend Bulldogs volleyball team will take their sparkling 18-2 record into the Southern B Division Tournament in Red Lodge beginning today.

The tournament contains the top-three placers from last year's state tourney, including defending Class B champion Huntley Project, the runner-up Bulldogs and third-place finisher Colstrip.

Townsend will be severely tested right off the scratch, it meets Colstrip (25-4) in the opening round at 11 a.m.

The contest will be a rematch of the 2007 state semifinals, when the Bulldogs beat Colstrip to advance to the championship match.

"We are going to have to play aggressively, there are a lot of good teams there," said veteran coach Jill Flynn, who has guided her team to five consecutive top-four state finishes. "We can't expect them to make any mistakes, and we'll have to cut down on our mistakes."

The Bulldogs are in the same bracket with two No. 1 seeds: Colstrip and Huntley. The top seeds on the other side are Manhattan Christian (15-4) and Baker.

Last week at the District tourney, Manhattan Christian beat Townsend for the 5B crown, handing the previously undefeated Bulldogs their first two losses of the year.

Leading the way for Townsend are Siobahn Flynn, Becky Moudree, Jessica Sagissor, Gaelyn Domino, Jordan Audet and Delaware Hansen.

The top-four teams qualify for the state tournament.