HUTCHINSON — The Ellsworth volleyball season was one to remember. Achieving many personal and team goals along the way, the Bearcats went 32-11 on the season, winning most of their sets and matches by large margins, going undefeated in regionals and substate, before topping it off with their first trip to the state tournament since 1997.

Unfortunately, the historic season came to an end a bit prematurely as the girls dropped three matches during pool play at the KSHSAA Class 3A State Tournament Oct. 30.

Playing with everything they had and a “never give up” attitude, the girls battled until the very end “It was an incredible experience for our program to return to the state tournament for the first time in 27 years,” head coach Kristy Rodriguez said. “Our girls competed with heart, grit and composure, playing high-level volleyball against some of the best teams in the state. I am so proud of how they represented Ellsworth and set the standard for future seasons.”

The girls started the day by taking on the eventual third place state finisher in the Wichita Trinity Knights. The Bearcats jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over the Knights, before Trinity scored two points of their own. As play went on, Ellsworth built their biggest lead in the opening set with the score at 14-7, prompting a Knight timeout after a senior Jo Lindsley kill. The Bearcats went on to match their biggest lead of seven points twice before winning the first set by a score of 25-20.

Ellsworth kept their momentum going early in the second set, scoring the game’s first three points before Trinity got on the board at 3-1. Following a 3-3 tie, the Bearcats built another lead, this time with the score at 11-6 before Trinity once again tied the set at 11-11. The Knights eventually gained their first lead at 16-15, then held on to it for good, as they went on to win the second set by a score of 25-17, forcing a third set.

In the rubber match, Ellsworth scored the first point, but that was immediately followed by seven Trinity points. Trinity maintained control of the lead until the Bearcats clawed their way back to a 20-19 lead over the Knights, courtesy of an ace serve by senior Elyse Haxton. Trinity, however, tied the game at 20, then went on to win the game by a score of 25-21 and the match 2-1.

Next up for the Bearcats was the No. 1 seed and eventual state champion Silver Lake Eagles. In a tightly contested first set, Ellsworth never held the lead, but forced 11 ties in the set, and never trailed by more than three points as Silver Lake won the first set by a score of 25-23. In the second set, the Eagles jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, which prompted a Bearcat timeout. Following the timeout, Ellsworth scored three straight points to pull within two. Silver Lake then built a five-point lead at 15-10, followed by Ellsworth clawing their way back to two at 15-13. Following a 20-20 tie, Ellsworth gained their first lead of the match at 21-20 as the two teams played to a 25-25 tie, forcing extra points. The Bearcats held the lead twice during the extra points before Silver Lake eventually won the set and match by a score of 31-29.

For the final match of the day, Ellsworth took on the Hesston Swathers. The Bearcats jumped out to an early 6-1 lead in set one before Hesston closed the gap at 10-9 and tying the set at 11. Hesston then gained their first lead of the set at 16-15 and held on to their lead to win the first set by a score of 25-21.

In set two, the Bearcats matched their biggest lead of the day at 17-12 before the Swathers went on a 6-0 run to take the lead at 18-17 on their way to winning the game and match 25-22.

Stat leaders:

Sophomore Kinley Place — 15 service points, 8 kills, 3 blocks, 27 assists Senior Elyse Haxton — 14 points, 20 kills, 3 blocks, 38 digs Senior Lexi Moore — 11 points, 26 kills, 3 blocks Senior Kelli Rodriguez — 5 points, 4 assists, 40 digs Moore was named to the Class 3A All-Tournament Team.

Earning First-Team All-League Honors were Moore, Haxton and Rodriguez, while senior Reagan Hansen garnered Honorable Mention All-League.

“It was such a tremendous experience, not just because we made it to state, but because I got to do it with my favorite people and my favorite community,” Haxton said. “It made me feel so grateful and blessed for the position I was in and for everything we went through together. Every tough practice and every loss was worth it because I got to be on the court with my best friends. The support we got from everyone in the school and community made me realize I was playing for something so much bigger than myself.”

“Getting to be a part of this team and this moment was really special,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve all worked so hard for this and to finally make it to state after so many years my senior year meant everything. I am proud of how we fought for each other every point, and being able to share it with my mom as my coach made it even more meaningful.”