This is a special time of year for athletes in Aroostook County.

During the three-week period between the end of basketball and the start of softball, girls and boys in this part of the state don’t stop; they just keep going.

It is now volleyball tournament time as eight girls teams prepare for the annual Aroostook County Girls Volleyball Tournament.

Central Aroostook of Mars Hill will defend its 1992 title on its home courts as it hosts the tournament on Thursday.

The double-elimination tournament begins at 3 p.m. with last year’s runnerup, Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook, taking on Easton, and Wisdom of St. Agatha facing Washburn.

At 3:30 p.m., Central Aroostook faces Hodgdon, and Van Buren meets Fort Fairfield.

At 4 p.m., the Southern Aroostook-Easton loser meets the Central Aroostook-Hodgdon loser, and the Wisdom-Washburn loser meets the Van Buren-Fort Fairfield loser.

The play continues with two games every half-hour with the championship scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and 7 p.m. if necessary.

Last year, Central Aroostook lost to Southern Aroostook in the early rounds and came up through the losers’ brackett to meet the undefeated Warriors again in the semifinals.

Southern Aroostook won the first game in the finals, but Central Aroostook won the last two to take the match and the championship.

Tom Sheehan said his Panthers have high hopes of reversing the final outcome this year.

“This tournament is one of the best-kept secrets in Aroostook County,” he said. “It’s a great tournament; very well-run. I hope a lot of people will come out to watch.”

The Panthers have sufficient motivation to win this event: they’ve been runnersup for the past two years and, as 1992 Class D basketball state champions, many of these players were on the ’93 squad that finished as runnerup to Central Aroostook in that sport just a few weeks ago.

“It’s pretty much a matchup between Eastern Maine champions,” Sheehan said. “We’ve got a pretty good team, so we’re hopeful this may be our year.”

Turning in basketball uniforms for volleyball suits were starters Jill Mathers, Jody Brown, Janet Corneil and Jess Walker.

“Jill is a junior spiker and the all-around fire in our belly,” Sheehan said. “Jody, a sophomore spiker, is our tall girl in the middle who can get up over the net. Janet, a sophomore, is a setter with a good, hard, deep return who plays the back line well for a first-year player. Jess, another junior, also gets up over the net and is a great digger. She gets to the ball; she’s smart on the court; and she can serve and hit anywhere.”

Jannie Durr, a junior, is the team’s top setter and, Sheehan said, one of the strongest servers Southern Aroostook has. The sixth starter is Jen Fowler, who has “improved tremendously” in that role.

“This is the largest group we’ve ever had out,” Sheehan said of the 21-member team. “And our second string of Bobbi Conrad, Corinne Watson, Rachel Dubois, Holly Mayberry and Misty Roy, is real strong. They’re right behind the first team in skills, and pushing hard.”

Aroostook County volleyball has continued to be a part of that area’s athletic tradition. “It’s all very much alive,” Sheehan said. “It’s great competition.”