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The Soldotna volleyball team has every reason to be confident heading into the Northern Lights Conference tournament on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Wasilla High School.

The Stars also have every reason not to be overconfident.

SoHi has a 10-0 mark in the NLC this year and is the No. 1 seed out of the Southern Division. The team also had the top seed the past two years and did not achieve the top-three finish required for a state berth.

"The kids understand that there is a target on their back because they are coming in undefeated," Soldotna coach Bruce King said.

The Stars open up with a 3 p.m. match today against Kodiak. Soldotna took care of Kodiak, the No. 4 seed from the Northern Division, in three games earlier in the year, but King said that the match was closer than that.

"I think we are relatively confident going into the match, but we remember those games," King said. "We definitely did not dominate them. Kodiak is a good opponent."

All the coaches said everybody in the conference is a good opponent. Even though Soldotna finished undefeated, coaches don't see a massive difference between the Stars and the rest of the conference. Saturday, the Stars dropped a game to Homer, which is the No. 4 seed out of the Southern Division.

"I think it's going to be a really exciting tournament," Homer coach Beth Trowbridge said. "This isn't a year where a team has one or two dominant players that are going to win the tournament.

"It's going to come down to who works together best as a team, not who has the star players."

King said the match management of setter Emily Rohloff will be important, but he said the most important thing for his team will be defense and serving -- both areas of volleyball which require all six players on the floor.

"We'll need a confident, balanced effort from everybody on the team," King said.

The parity is especially strong in the Northern Division, where Palmer coach Steve Reynolds told the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman that Colony, Palmer and Wasilla are closer than at any time during his 10-year stint as coach.

Colony, the defending NLC champion, graduated a lot of talent, but has rebuilt fast enough for a 7-3 conference record. Palmer finished 6-4 in the league, while Wasilla was 5-5.

Colony opens with a 5 p.m. match today against Homer, the No. 4 seed from the south.

The Mariners were swept by the Knights earlier this season, but Trowbridge said her team played well against Colony. She said Jessie Erickson and Carla Muller will be key throughout the tournament.

"It's been a rebuilding year, but I've been pleased with how we're getting better," Trowbridge said. "Even though our record has not been good, the girls haven't let that get them down. They've kept working hard and improving."

Palmer will take on Kenai, the No. 3 seed from the south, at 1 p.m. The Kardinals lost to the Moose in three games, but the Kards did not have Lierin Flanagan, one of their top hitters, playing in the match. Kenai Central coach Michelle Borland also said her squad did not pass well on serve-receive during the match.

"I think they're really going to have to control their game and not let the other teams get a bunch of momentum," Borland said. "If they're able to do that, they'll be competitive."

Borland said seniors Lexi Beeson and Mariah Huhndorf also will have to have big matches to lead the Kardinals, who beat Homer and Nikiski last weekend.

The final match of the night will feature Skyview, the No. 2 seed from the south and a returning state qualifier, against Wasilla, the No. 3 seed and tournament host.

The game is at 7 p.m. and should draw a boisterous, pro-Wasilla crowd.

The Panthers played many matches in big-time atmospheres this year, including Dig Pink matches at Soldotna and Kodiak and a senior night match at Skyview that drew about 300 fans.

"The kids have seen a little of this kind of atmosphere," Skyview coach Sheila Kupferschmid said. "They've been around this. That's going to help them. I don't think the atmosphere is going to create a problem."

Early in the season, Skyview lost to the Warriors in a tight, five-game match. The Panthers will lean heavily on Jaci Lamborn, Casee Penrod and Jaxon Hill, who each played a big part in the state run last year. Kupferschmid also said Monica Hutchison will have to provide ball control from her libero position.

"I think this is going to be a pretty competitive, balanced tournament," Kupferschmid said. "It's going to be who's playing the best on that night, and a little luck helps, as well.

"I think the kids are playing the best they've played all year."