Bluebirds 2nd at 2A State Championship
Goessel Volleyball -KSHSAA 2A State Championship - White Auditorium, Emporia, Kansas Oct. 28, 2017
2A state championship Saturday consisted solely of schools north of the 38th parallel. Goessel faced Pool II 2nd place finisher Blue Rapids-Valley Heights in one semi-final match and 2016 champion Olathe-Heritage Academy took on Pool I runner-up Smith Center on the south court. The Bluebirds put together two extremely solid sets against the Mustangs and Senior hitter Kayla Smith. In the first, the lead changed hands four times, but the Bluebirds held firm and finished 25-23. In the 2nd, Goessel took the lead 7-6 and never looked back, overcoming 19 Mustang earned points but making only 3 errors while earning 21 to close out a very well-played match 25-22. Goessel faced the Olathe-Heritage Christian Academy Chargers in the championship and their first set played well. The Bluebirds led 21-17 when O-HC took a timeout and the Bluebird wings fell off. Eden Hiebert blasted a shot to go to 23-21, but that’s all she wrote as the Chargers took advantage of tentative Bluebird play and roared to a 23-25 victory. The lead changed hands 6 times in this one and one could nearly inhale the emotional cost of this loss. Goessel simply could not get into the 2nd set and earned a mere 6 points as Olathe-Heritage pulled away 25-15 to take the 2A 2017 championship.
Goessel’s Seniors: Eden Hiebert, Brittney Hiebert, Leah Booton, and Kara Burkholder have led this team through some incredible years. With the 2nd place finish this year, this team goes to 43-1 on the year. Through their sojourn as Bluebirds, these Seniors have a cumulative 172-4 record, with three of those losses in state championship rounds. Up until the championship game today, it is believed they were one of the only KSHSAA schools to have an unbeaten record this year. Congratulations Eden, Brittney, Leah and Kara for your leadership and examples both on and off the court!
Blue Rapids- Valley Heights
White Auditorium on a cool fall Saturday is a completely different venue than Hays’ Gross Coliseum. With fans cozy against the edges and the decibel level head-numbing, Goessel’s giant rowboat poster and flag waving student section set up to dual with the Mustangs from Blue Rapids-Valley Heights. The Mustangs carry 5 seniors and Goessel 4; job one for the Bluebirds would be to attempt to block outside Kayla Smith #14. After one kill from Eden, it was a horrendous start for the Blue as neither team could find its footing. Receive errors left it at 2-6 until Brittney finally hammered one in the middle. Glimmers of hope emerged with a tip and left side kill then another nice finger roll from Eden to go to 6-10. Goessel made 9 errors on the first 10 Mustang points. Booton got a crafty back row finish, then Stephany Meyer and Cierra Nolte double blocked to create a momentum shift. After Brittney and Nolte stopped Smith on the right, the Mustangs’ free ride stopped at 10-12. Booton slammed one down then finger rolled to knot at 14-14 and a moment later Meyer won a tussle in the middle and Valley Heights called time at 16-15. Brittney crushed one all the way to Peabody to lead 17-16 then Savanna Wuest drove a line drive ace. After three Bluebird errors Goessel called time down 18-20 and then called time again behind 18-21. Eden hit a deep service that was called in on the line for the ace 20-21 and #19 hit two consecutive shots wide, then dumped one into the net. Timeout Heights. After a Smith finish to go to 23-22, Booton sliced an off-speed shot sideways that fell for the 24-22 lead. On a middle joust, Goessel was called for a lift, but on the next point, Leah found an off-balance hang time hitting position that was just right and walloped a jaw dropping finish through the block for the 25-23 win! Not a pretty win, as BR-VH earned only 8 of their 23 points, but a W nevertheless.
The 2nd set was the antithesis of the first. Each time was able to earn points with minimal errors as the two squads went back and forth the entire set. Eden was unstoppable in the early going, absolutely branding the ESU floor again and again. Both Eden and Brittney found pay dirt and erased an early deficit, going ahead for the final time at 7-6. Meyer and Nolte blocked K. Smith and on a big defensive effort from Madi Smith, Audessi Unruh, and others, Goessel went up 10-7 and VH called time. Heights was able to tie at 11-11 out of the timeout, but again Meyer and Nolte came up big time at the net to lead 12-11. At 12-12 Goessel went on a critical 5-0 run with a bazooka round from Booton, a block from Brittney/Booton in the middle, a quick Wuest set to Brittney and a Kara Burkholder ace. Leah showed great hang time with a left side kill, but again the Mustangs rallied to get to 19-17. Eden swatted one so hard it knocked out the Freddie’s fry machine. Eden and Stephany down-blocked in the middle. Timeout VH at 21-17. Eden did her joyous leap after a tumultuous harrumph, then caroused yet another to lead 23-18. The Mustangs never yielded and came galloping back to 23-21 and Coach Guhr called time. Out of the timeout, #14 blasted one down the exit ramp to go to 24-21, but then came back on a lovely tip to stay at 24-22. Once again, “closer” Leah Booton caught a set from Wuest right in her wheelhouse and powered it down so hard the municipal court plumbing system downstairs sprung a leak. 25-22. Goessel moves on to the state championship match! Those words have become so familiar to the Bluebirds that fans and players alike almost don’t realize what a huge privilege it is to be at this place and in this role.
Olathe-Heritage Christian Academy
Fans would be hard pressed to come up a more entertaining match than this championship round first set. With six lead changes and point for point pushes, each time tried to outwit, outmatch and outplay. Eden started with huge smackdown, then Stephany got a solo block to lead 2-1. Early errors again plagued the Bluebirds as the Chargers took a 6-10 lead. Eden tipped over the block, then Wuest slammed in two consecutive aces to knot at 10-10. Leah beat 6’5” #14 Faith Hammontree at the net with a nifty back row finish and after a classy Booton tip, Heritage took a timeout at 13-13. Goessel hung tough with digs from Smith and a pretty sideways tip from Nolte on the right. Fans went wild when Brittney and Leah stopped #14 in the middle to tie 15-15. A huge wallop from Booton took the Bluebirds to 17-16 and hits from Brittney in the middle and an explosive slam-dunk from Eden on the left left the Blue riding pretty at 20-17. Timeout: Heritage. The high point of the entire tournament occurred a moment later when Eden finger rolled from the left and all six Chargers were on the floor, laying with their hands pointed to the ball like a giant starfish. 21-17 and Goessel fans were noisy and fired up! Two back to back kills and two Bluebird errors just as quickly took it to 22-21 and Coach Guhr called timeout. Eden rose up to the Wuest set, paused, and just hammered it, totally re-arranging Ryder’s dinosaur collection and scattering them throughout the arena. 23-21. Carefully and urgently, the Chargers found their marks and blasted two to go to 23-23. Goessel went to Eden on the left and off the block the shot fell in at the net. The next point, again the set went to #7 and once again the Chargers were able to find the block to take away the set 23-25.
Visibly emotionally drained from the “near-miss,” Goessel could not get up for the 2nd set. Before you could say “Johnson County,” Heritage had a 0-5 lead on Blue miscues. Nearly every error possible occurred in the first half of this one, as the Chargers ran it to 6-14; Goessel used its second timeout at that point. There were few highlights as Goessel earned only 6 points. The Chargers hit aggressively making 5 service errors and 4 other errors. Brittney swatted one, Leah got one down, and Eden/Stephany blocked #14 once. The Chargers recorded 7 aces. Eden got three more swats but nothing else was happening and the Chargers walked away with this one 15-25, repeating as state champions.
After the disappointing 2nd set, Goessel’s squad was recognized for their championship runner-up finish amid many tears. The last time in Bluebird uniforms for this group of extraordinary seniors was full of many emotions for family, friends and supporters. Fans of other towns complemented this team for their demeanor on and off the court.
Goessel will look to rebuild in 2018, with the team open to many different configurations and the contributions of young players.
It’s been a great run! Never forget the opportunity this has been to play with a group of magnificent student/athletes whose class on the court is second to none. Thanks to Coaches Crysta Guhr, Paige Booton, Patrick Loganbill, as well as each member of the Bluebird squad. Madison Smith, Audessi Unruh, Eden Hiebert, Stephany Hiebert, Brittany Hiebert, Elizabeth Alderfer, Leah Booton, Kara Burkholder, Savanna Wuest, Cierra Nolte. A special thanks to managers Brooke Nafziger and Kaleigh Guhr. It is always a joy to share these notes with those who have enjoyed reading them……
-Karl Brubaker