RAPID CITY – It doesn’t get much more epic than this.

In a match that evenly divided 206 mostly riveting points, Chester Area claimed the most crucial point of all, the one that secured the Class B State championship Saturday night at The Monument. The Flyers denied Warner a chance for a third straight title by grabbing a heart-pounding 20-25, 25-23, 25-17, 18-25, 15-13 volleyball victory.

“If you were a fan watching that, I think that was great volleyball,” said Chester Area coach Jean O’Hara.

The Flyers had a bit of extra motivation heading into the match after falling to the Monarchs in last year’s championship contest.

“I knew it was going to be battle,” said Warner coach Kari Jung. “I knew they had revenge on their mind and they have the power and the offense to do it. We just fell short. We played a good match. It was a good match.”

So good in fact, that after nearly a two-hour battle, it came down to a handful of pivotal points at the finish.

Chester had watched the Monarchs score four straight points to turn a 10-8 deficit into a 12-10 lead. The Flyers rose to the occasion with four consecutive points of their own to obtain a pair of match points. They converted on the second one thanks to their final block of the night to capture the state championship.

“I think the difference was Chester finished on plays that we didn’t finish on,” said Warner senior Ava Nilsson. “They’re a great volleyball team. They have great athletes and their coach is great.”

And on this occasion, the Flyers had a little bit of extra motivation to finish what they couldn’t a year ago.

“We really just came together and said let’s do this,” said Chester sophomore Lily VanHal, “and just went for it.”

Chester’s ability to block Warner’s powerful hitters was a key storyline in the contest.

Attacks that would have normally resulted in points for the Monarchs in nearly any other match, were stonewalled at the net.

“We just couldn’t get around that block. They had us on that,” Jung said. “They knew who was going to hit. They played a great match.”

Those blocks did not happen by accident. The Flyers studied the Monarchs’ hitting tendencies and anticipated where the attempts would be coming from.

“It was just knowing where we’re supposed to be at the right time,” VanHal said, “mentally preparing ourselves before the game, watching film, knowing where each hitter is going to hit and focusing on that.”

In the end, those blocks turned out to be crucial as they accounted for the team’s final three points of the match.

“We just keep saying, we just need one play, we just need one play,” O’Hara said, “play for one play and we were able to get that.”

Of course, it helped that 6-foot senior Addison Bates happened to be in the right place at the right time with the season on the line.

“Addie Bates came through huge for us right there,” O’Hara said. “We’re going to be glad she was in the front row when we got to that last rotation.”

Warner won the opening set, before Chester took both the next two sets and appeared to have all the momentum heading into set four. The Monarchs never panicked and owned the fourth set.

“I was little worried after set three because we just struggled, and we couldn’t get anything going,” Jung said. “But when they got to four, I was feeling better and then they brought the momentum back to our side.”

Once it got to the fifth set, neither team owned more than a two-point edge, providing a fitting finish for a match that will likely be talked about for quite some time.

“We have kind of talked all year that this game is really about little things,” O’Hara said. “Little things make huge differences. Little things turn into big things, and we were able to get some of those little things tonight.”

And those little things ended up leading to the biggest thing of all: a state championship.

“They are a very good team,” Nilsson said, “and we have nothing to hang our heads about.”

The victory snapped a 58-match winning streak for the Monarchs dating back to the middle of last season.

“Hats off to Coach Jung and that Warner team,” O’Hara said. “They’ve accomplished what a lot of teams can’t do, run the gamut for a full season and they’re good. I think that was a great volleyball match to be a part of.”

Jacy Wolf led four players in double-figure kills for the Flyers with 18. VanHal contributed a dozen kills and 39 set assists.

Lauren Marcuson led Warner with 18 kills, Kyleigh Schopp followed with 14, and Kyra Marcuson added 11.

Nilsson capped a phenomenal prep career with 44 set assists, 28 digs and seven blocks in her final high school match.

“I think how we played today says a lot about the character of our team and our coaching staff. We really didn’t crumble at all,” Nilsson said. “We relied on each other, and we used teamwork, and I think we all just have such love for the game that it will cycle down to the little girls in the community, and I think they can see this and say wow, I do not like how I feel right now, and I want to go and I want to win some state championships.”

The Monarchs, who finished the season at 39-1, will lose seven seniors who have definitely left their mark on the program through the years.

“I think we played with a lot of heart all night. I was really proud,” Jung said. “I feel bad for my seniors, because they have put so much into this and they’re really sad about it, but they’ve had a great career with us. They had a great season. Not a lot of teams can say they’ve accomplished what that group has accomplished.”

Serving: Chester Area 4 aces (Gracie Huntimer 3, Addison Bates 1); Warner 5 aces (Lauren Marcuson 3, Haleigh Holt 1, Ava Nilsson 1).

Hitting: Chester Area 68 kills (Jacy Wolf 18 kills, Emmerson Eppard 15, Bates 14, Lily VanHal 12); Warner 57 (L. Marcuson 18, Kyleigh Schopp 14, Kyra Marcuson 11).

Setting: Chester Area 60 assists (VanHal 39, Wolf 17); Warner 57 (Nilsson 44, L. Marcuson 5).

Digs: Chester Area 67 (Emery Larson 21, Wolf 14, Katelyn Huntimer 10); Warner 84 (Nilsson 28, L. Marcuson 17, Courtney Bjorgaard 11, K. Marcuson 9).

Blocks: Chester Area 4 solo 10 assists (Emilie Bleeker 3 solo 1 assist, Bates 1 solo 4 assists, VanHal 4 assists); Warner 1 solo 26 assists (Nilsson 1 solo 6 assists, Schopp 8 assists, MaKenna Leidholt 5 assists, K. Marcuson 3 assists, Sophia Hoeft 2 assists, L. Marcuson 2 assists).

Records: Chester Area 33-2; Warner 39-1.