Another improbable run, another Lady Oiler volleyball championship.

In 2019, Central Plains entered the Class 1A state tournament as the No. 7 seed, only to cruise through the competition. The 2020 bunch dropped out of the Class 1A, Div. I ranks just prior to the postseason. The Lady Oilers dumped three ranked teams to reach the final four in Dodge City Saturday where they went 5-0 with a 26-24, 25-23 win over Lebo in the state championship match.

“We play an insanely tough schedule throughout the season,” said Lady Oiler coach Lisa Crites. “I wouldn’t say there is anything more special about the end of the season except that all of the court time keeps adding to our experience, and while we break it down we use each step to become better and better, both individually and as a team.”

This year’s championship featured a little less drama than last year’s but with COVID-19 restrictions in place, Central Plains first went 3-0 in pool matches before beating St. John in the semifinals and Lebo in the finals.

“We are grateful for the opportunity that KSHSAA arranged for there to be a state tournament,” Crites said. “However, the format was so different from last year’s experience that, other than being acquainted with the court, there was a very distinct contrast between the experiences. The girls enjoyed this championship as much as last year but were so exhausted from playing all five matches in one day that the fatigue set in quickly.”

Lebo entered the final four with just three losses on the season but dropped a 21-25, 25-21, 25-17 match against Central Plains in pool play. Lady Wolf senior Demi Schrader used a strong serve to put the Lady Oilers in a quick 5-0 hole to open the state title match. Lebo used another 3-0 run to pull ahead 11-7 when Crites called a timeout.

“Including myself, we were all a little stressed or flustered about the run that Lebo was on,” she said. “I told everybody to take a deep breath and then, ‘Just Breathe.’ We were holding on a little too tight. We needed to remind ourselves to just relax and play. It was the state championship, it wasn’t supposed to be easy. Nothing worth earning is ever simple or easy.”

The pep talk worked. Seniors Ryenne Cunningham and Lexi Oeser put down kills out of the break, then Callie Zink served up an ace to give the Lady Oilers their first lead of the match at 12-11.

Oeser missed two weeks of the season but returned for the state quarterfinals against Victoria. Saturday she played full time, putting down two points to keep the Lady Oilers on top at 15-14.

In a back-and-forth set, Lebo pulled ahead 23-22 before Crites called another timeout. Oeser answered with a kill then gave the Lady Oilers a 24-23 edge — only after the floor judge overruled a replay and gave her the point.

“Losing Lexi for two weeks to an injury helped refocus and direct her attention to the details of the game,” said Crites. “She was a huge help on the bench taking the mental reps and helping out her teammates on the court. When she was released to play again she had the confidence to finish strong. She’s a smart volleyball player, knowing how to find holes in the defense, and also making the right choice to put the ball down or hit off the block.”

The Lady Oilers failed to put the set away on the next point but the Lady Wolves put a ball in the net and hit another out of bounds to hand Central Plains the set 26-24.

Central Plains cruised for much of the second set, getting a tip from Riley Thompson, an ace from Oeser, and three net points from Kassidy Nixon to pull ahead 6-2. The Lady Oilers were still cruising at 20-13 with a big stuff from Nixon.

Then the Wolves began to claw their way back into the match. The Lady Oilers got into the net twice for a 22-21 score, then Oeser kept them afloat with a kill. Shrader answered with a pair of kills for a 24-23 score, and the hard-hitting senior went to the end line to take over with her big serve. As she did multiple times in the match, Nixon ended any chances of a long service run, this time with a kill to end the season.

“Schrader has a great serve Crites said. “Our girls struggled with the movement and speed of it initially. The back row passed their best balls of the season on Saturday. We knew if we could make just one really good pass we would create the solid connection we needed to get the side out.”

To reach the finals, Central Plains defeated St. John 25-22, 25-19. The Lady Oilers defeated league-rival St. John 23-25, 25-12, 25-15 in pool play. Central Plains defeated St. John four times this season though the Lady Tigers defeated Skyline for third place Saturday.

Nixon was huge early on in the semifinal matches with five kills for a quick 5-2 score. She led the team with 87 kills Saturday, with 15 coming in the St. John match.

“Anytime a team can dominate the first five points the result is a huge confidence booster,” Crites said. “Kassidy can read the court quickly and punish defenses with her ability to strike forcefully as well as tip strategically.”

Central Plains never trailed in the opening set, getting two kills from Nixon, and a kill and ace from junior Shaylah Kempke to lead 15-9. Three bad Lady Oiler services kept the Tigers around at 15-10 midway through the match.

St. John got as close as 22-21 late in the first set before Nixon put down a stuff and followed with a spike. Her tip over ended the first set at 25-22.

The second set was much more competitive as St. John leveled the score at 10 before Kempke put down a stuff and kill. That began an 8-0 Oiler run that largely determined the first set. The Tigers were sneaking back in at 22-18 when freshman Kashlin Beck put down a monster kill. Cunningham ended the match with a point at the net.

Nixon hit .400 in the five matches on Saturday and finished with 87 kills. Cunningham added 35 kills and 45 digs, and Oeser finished with 27 kills and 13 aces. Kempke put down 15 kills and Zink was strong at libero with 81 serve receptions and 74 digs. Thompson dished out 109 assists on the day.

Central Plains ends its season at 33-11 overall. Crites says goodbye to just three seniors in Oeser, Cunningham, and Zink.

“Losing the three seniors will have a huge impact on the court, but since they did their job right as leaders, the next group is ready to step in and rise to the challenge Crites said. “These seniors chose the motto, ‘Good is not good when better is expected.’ I think it provided a perfect standard of how we attack a volleyball season and especially the mindset we take on down the stretch as the season wraps up.”