RAPID CITY – It took an experienced championship squad to finally end the run of a young squad with championship aspirations Saturday night.
Chester Area captured its third straight State B Volleyball Championship with a 25-23, 25-16, 25-18 sweep over Warner at The Monument. All three of the Flyers’ titles came against Warner, but this one was much different than the others, especially the match in the same building two years ago.
“It was the experience. Two years ago, we had a team full of seniors. They had played multiple state tournaments. They knew what they were doing,” said Warner senior MaKenna Leidholt. “This one, we had young kids in there and they were figuring it out. And they were playing amazing, but it just didn’t come out.”
The Monarchs, who play a variety of underclassmen, hung tough but were unable to stop the powerful Chester attack.
“I’m really proud of them,” said Warner coach Kari Jung. “Chester has got some outstanding power on their swings and they’ve got a lot of experience, and our girls never gave up, and they played together and they played with a lot of heart.”
Chester Area relied on its seniors to help turn back a game effort from the Monarchs, who stayed within striking distance the majority of the match.
“The one thing that might have really helped us out tonight was the calmness perhaps of our senior leadership. You can’t teach experience,” said Chester coach Jean O’Hara. “Coach Jung does such a nice job and I’ll you what, those young kids are going to be lights out next year. Look out, they’re going to be back here and they’re going to be something to contend with.”
The Monarchs got Chester’s attention in the opening set, playing stride for stride with the Flyers and leading 23-22 before the defending champs scored the final three points to pull out the set.
“I can never call Warner an underdog no matter what. Coach Jung, her kids are too good and too seasoned and they’re too well-coached,” O’Hara said. “They did everything they really needed to do I thought to really push and test us.”
While the Flyers controlled the second set, the third set was another tight one. The Monarchs never went away, but they had a tough time contending with the Chester Area hitting attack that featured Lily Van Hal on one pin and Jacy Wolf at the other.
“We worked on blocking a lot,” said Warner’s Tatum Hanson. “We tried to stop Van Hal and Wolf obviously because they’re the biggest hitters. Our defense has been good all season, but tonight, it was great, they’re just great hitters.”
Van Hal finished with 17 kills and Wolf contributed 14. The duo kept the pressure on the Warner defense.
“We’ve been working on pace all year,” Van Hal said. “That’s what’s going to beat teams is moving them fast, pin to pin, so that really helped us tonight.”
Having multiple impact hitters prevented the Monarchs from focusing on stopping just one key player.
“Most teams have a hitter that we can cheat to, and find,” Leidholt said. “They have many and it’s really hard to pick one to find. They do amazing moving the ball.”
Not only that, but the Chester Area hitters are proficient at hitting a variety of spots on the floor.
“If we played them line, then they went cross. If we played them cross, they went line,” Jung said. “They just got the talent.”
The setback ended a strong postseason run for the Monarchs, who defeated the likes of perennial powers Hitchcock-Tulare, Colman-Egan, and Northwestern on their march to the championship match. It was a major accomplishment for a young team that not many predicted to end up playing for a state title.
“Looking back on this team from the beginning of the season to now, it’s crazy,” Leidholt said. “Nobody really expected us to even be in this match, and I think second is an amazing thing for us.”
Jaycee Jung topped Warner with 17 kills.
The Monarchs lose just two starters from this year’s team in Leidholt and Reagan Wood, who served as mentors to a group of young players this past season.
“Me and Reagan talked about that. I hope they’ll get them next year,” Leidholt said. “With this experience that they’ve had this year with me and Reagan, they’ll do amazing things next year.”
That goal has already been established for the future, according to Hanson.
“Next year we’re just going to come out even stronger,” Hanson said, “and just trust that all of our hard work is going to pay off.”
This year’s Warner team finished the season with a 33-7 record and saved its top performances for when it mattered most.
“That’s the best thing about volleyball,” Coach Jung said, “if you finish peaking at the right time, it’s a very successful season. I’m very proud of this team.”
Serving: Warner 3 aces (Tatum Hanson 1, Miah Leidholt 1, Reagan Wood 1); Chester Area 4 aces (Kaytee Wold 2, Elise Van Hal 1 Lily Van Hal 1).
Hitting: Warner 31 (Jaycee Jung 17, MaKenna Leidholt 7, Kaydee Mackner 5); Chester Area 42 (L. Van Hal 15, Jacy Wolf 14, Emmerson Eppard 7).
Setting: Warner 30 assists (Hanson 13, Wood 11); Chester Area 42 (Wolf 16, L. Van Hal 14).
Digs: Warner 60 (Wood 14, Jung 10, Hanson 10, Brynn Hill 8); Chester Area 59 (Gracie Huntimer 19, Wolf 11, L. Van Hal 10).
Blocks: Warner 4 assists (Olivia Marcuson 2, Makenna Leidholt 2); Chester Area 1 solo 16 assists (E. Val Hal 1 solo1 assist, Katelyn Schut 6 assists, Emilie Bleeker 5).
Records: Warner 33-7; Chester Area 33-1.
