Unbeaten CJI Sweeps PDB to Reach District 10C Championship Match
By Chad Smith / HLSN Sports
The top-seeded CJI Hawks swept Power/Dutton-Brady in Friday's winners bracket semifinal at the 2026 District 10C Volleyball Tournament, winning 25-15, 25-20, 25-14 in the CJI gym to remain unbeaten in the tournament and secure a place in Saturday's championship match. PDB, the third seed, came into the evening riding Thursday's reverse sweep of Cascade, and the Titans made the Hawks earn this win, especially in a second set that swung hard in both directions.
CJI did it again without senior Brynn Kammerzell, who remained sidelined with a sprained ankle, and with a slightly different look in the lineup from Thursday. The Hawks started senior Brie Mattson, sophomore Timber Hull, junior Scarlet Sundgren, sophomore Audrey Young, sophomore Brooke Streit, and senior setter Piper Erickson, with senior co-liberos Mercedes Riggin and Kyra Anderson also starting. Mattson, Hull, Sundgren, and Streit played all the way around the rotation, and Mattson delivered several big swings at the net. CJI has now won six straight sets in the tournament without dropping one, and the Hawks have not lost a set to a District 10C opponent all season.
The Hawks set the tone early in the first set, edging ahead 10-8 before a long run stretched the lead to 18-8 and forced PDB to burn its final timeout. The Titans chipped it back to 21-13 and 24-14, but CJI closed it out 25-15.
The second set was the one that tested the Hawks. PDB jumped out in front early and led by as many as six at 16-10. The Titans still held a 17-12 edge before CJI started chipping away. After the Hawks pulled within 15-17, PDB took a timeout to try to stop the comeback momentum, but CJI came out of the break and tied it at 18-18, then took its first lead at 20-19, and pushed it to 22-20. With the set in the balance, sophomore Timber Hull stepped to the service line, and the Hawks held the lead from there, finishing 25-20 after PDB could not get a run going again.
The third set belonged to CJI from the start. The Hawks led 5-3 and stretched it to 7-3 when PDB took a timeout to try to slow them down. Following the break the Titans did cut it to 8-7. but CJI answered.in a big way, pulling away to 13-8, 16-10, and 20-11. PDB had one more small rally left, but the Hawks rode that cushion to a 25-14 victory.
The losers bracket, played earlier in the day, cleared the field down to four teams. Sunburst beat Heart Butte 25-12, 28-26, 25-14, then Cascade topped Augusta 25-13, 25-14, 25-18, and Simms eliminated Sunburst 25-17, 25-7, 25-16. Heart Butte, Augusta, and Sunburst were all eliminated.
Saturday, Oct. 31, action begins at 11:00 a.m. with Simms taking on Cascade. The winner will face PDB, and the winner of that match will meet CJI for the District 10C championship. Because the tournament is double elimination and CJI has not lost, the Hawks would have to be beaten twice for the title to change hands, with a second championship match played only if necessary. The tournament leads into next week’s Northern C divisional tournament in Belt, where four teams from District 10C and four from District 9C will compete and two will advance to the state tournament in Bozeman.
Sophomore Audrey Young led the Hawks with 17 kills and three aces, and senior Brie Mattson, who played all the way around the rotation, finished with eight kills, 21 digs, and an ace. Junior Scarlet Sundgren added six kills, 18 digs, two aces, and a block, while sophomore Brooke Streit had six kills, two aces, three digs, and a block. Sophomore Timber Hull chipped in five kills, 10 digs, and two aces, and senior setter Piper Erickson ran the offense with 38 assists, two aces, and five digs. Seniors Kyra Anderson and Mercedes Riggin each added two digs.
Click here for a gallery of photos from the match.
