The Niles volleyball team will begin its search for a SMAC championship against Kalamazoo Central, the same team the Vikings will face in the opening round of the Class A district tournament Monday.

The Vikings and Maroon Giants will square off at 9:30 a.m. in the first round of the SMAC Tournament at Battle Creek Lakeview Saturday.

The winner will face the winner of the Mattawan-Portage Northern match, which kicks off the tournament at 8:30 a.m.

The winners and losers in the opening round matches will play again at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. before being seeded into the championship round bracket.

That round of the tournament is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m.

“We are extremely excited because the tournament bracket worked out almost identical (depending on the way things go) to our district bracket,” Niles coach Jenny Nate said. “We face Kalamazoo Central in the first pool play match (and we face them in the first round of districts Tuesday). We defeated them in five sets early in the season, but they are a very good team, and they run a fast offense.

“We have studied film on K.C. and Portage Central and are really focused in on what our offensive strengths are against them and what we need to do defensively in order to shut them down. Our match against Lakeview was great preparation for the weekend and districts. Lakeview’s hitters are similar to the fast hitters we will see this weekend and next week, and our win Tuesday gave us confidence that what we have been focusing on in practice is working.”

The Vikings are hoping that all that hard work pays off Saturday and during the postseason.

“My team knows that every match is going to be a battle and that they have to be at the top of their mental and physical games in order to win,” Nate said. “They are peaking right now as a team and that is exactly what I was hoping would happen at this point in the season.”

Tournament opening ceremonies are scheduled for 8:20 a.m.

Admission is $5 per person and league passes will be accepted. Concessions will be available throughout the tournament.