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Heights wins HPL tourney crown

Published 10/20/2009 in Prep-Main

By BRETT MARSHALL

bmarshall@gctelegram.com

HOLCOMB -- It was a scrappy Lakin Lady Broncs volleyball team that took the floor against powerhouse Southwestern Heights on Monday night in the semifinals of the Hi-Plains League volleyball tournament.

And the heavily favored Lady Mustangs did what was expected as they swept past Lakin 25-18, 25-10, then proceeded to overwhelm an equally feisty Cimarron team in the championship, 25-11, 25-8. Lakin toppled Holcomb for third place by claiming straight set wins, 25-21, 25-8. Cimarron advanced to the title match by outlasting Holcomb (16-17) in the other semifinal 25-16, 16-25, 26-24.

It was a night Heights won the league tournament for the first time in nine years after winning the regular season race a week earlier by going unbeaten in 10 league games. It was the first outright HPL regular-season title for coach Julie Tucker's team in four years.

The championship run was simply another overpowering effort for Heights (38-1), who now heads into Saturday's Class 3A sub-state at Larned.

"We're just excited to win the league and get one more of our goals," senior setter Britny Butler said. "Cimarron came out with a lot of fire against us and so did Lakin. We had to fire up to match their intensity and then we were able to just roll. I think we all just wanted it and that's what we came here to play for."

It was Butler who got the Mustangs going in the final set of the night when she served for the first 10 points. And it was Butler who served the final winning point to close out the sweep.

"She's been our consistent force all season," Tucker said Butler, who had 30 assists and two service aces for the night. "Her all-around play has been very good and it was nice that she could finish it off."

In spite of the Mustangs being the heavy favorites going into the league meet, Butler and her teammates took nothing for granted.

"We've learned that no team will just hand it to us," Butler said. "We have to go out and work for each point. Lakin really covers the floor well and they are a very scrappy and tenacious team."

For Tucker, winning the league is only a prelude to what she knows will be her team's biggest challenge and that will be the tough field they will face Saturday at sub-state.

"It's been the elusive goal (getting to state)," Tucker admitted. "A big source of frustration. We know Hoisington will be good no matter what their record is. They play a tough schedule and their coach has them playing a lot of club volleyball in the winter."

The one thing Tucker did like from her team Monday was its power display of kills and blocks.

"We knew we'd have a defensive battle from Lakin. I just told the girls to swing away," Tucker said. "We just need to rely on that power more and more if we're going to have any success this weekend. We still have a lot to work on and that worries me going into sub-state that we've not really been tested except once or twice all season. It's do or die and it just depends on which team shows up."

For Cimarron coach Lori George, it was a major accomplishment to earn second place in just her second year of coaching the Bluejays. They take a 30-11 record into Saturday's sub-state at Larned.

"My girls did what I asked of them and they played defense as well as they've played all season," George said. "Heights is just a great team. We've made progress since early in the season against them. At first, we couldn't even get any digs against them and now we are."

For Lakin (24-13), who head to Larned as well, it was bittersweet as coach Steve Davidson had hoped to earn the No. 2 seed from Saturday's pool play to qualify into Monday's semis.

"Saturday messed that up because we didn't come out and play our best," Davidson said. "We played better today, moved better and felt better and that helped. It's a funny game. We've been working on our blocking quite a bit and I thought we did a better job. We got to a lot of shots from Heights tonight that we hadn't been getting to in earlier matches."

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Hi-Plains League Volleyball

Monday at Holcomb

Semifinals

Cimarron def. Holcomb 25-16, 16-25, 26-24

SW Heights def. Lakin 25-18, 25-10

Third Place

Lakin def. Holcomb 25-21, 25-8

Championship

SW Heights def. Cimarron 25-11, 25-8

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