Leyton headed back to state

With Leyton up 2-0, but struggling badly in the third set, Jodi Craig huddled her team and did what any coach would do: she quoted a t-shirt slogan.

The slogan, selected by her seniors before the season began, informs all that good teams can win when they're ahead, great teams can win when they're behind.

"I said 'here's your chance to prove you're a great team,'" Craig explained.

In brushing past Hay Springs 25-14, 25-16 and 25-21at Bayard Thursday night to earn the D2-6 district title and the squad's third consecutive trip to state, the Warriors appeared to validate the message.

They head to Grand Island with a 30-2 record. On the night, the Warriors hammered their opponent from all sides. Setter Katy Ernest (28 assists) distributed the ball up and down the line. Kelsey Waite recorded 10 kills, Shaela Jenkins 8 and Kassandra Harris 7 to lead the squad.

Behind them, Carly Rushman and Diedra Waite combined for 22 successful receives, aided by Harris and Kaitlyn Berner's 8 and 7, respectively. The entire team stepped in to dig out Hawks' attacks, with six players notching 7 or more, led by Harris' 14.

Despite the all-around performance, however, Leyton was forced to overcome a steep deficit before they could punch their tickets east.

"I was thinking it would be easy," Ernest said, referring to her expectations after the first two sets. "But they didn't lie down."

The Hawks shocked Leyton to open the third, racking up a quick 7-0 lead. The spree included two aces by Stephanie Tlustos, but was largely due to defensive miscues and a rare inability by the Warriors to find each other on the court.

"That was not pretty," hitter Kelsey Waite admitted.

But Leyton began to claw their way back. Ernest set up Waite for the team's first point. The senior setter then took to the line and sizzled an ace past the Hawks' Cydney Jancik. Her next delivery also scored, thanks to link up play between Diedra Waite, Ernest and Kelsey Waite.

The mini run brought the score to 7-3. Hay Springs kept the Warriors at arm's length over the next few rounds, reestablishing a 7 point cushion at 14-7.

On the sidelines, coach Craig hardly changed her demeanor.

"I know the character of this team," she pointed out. "They're persistent."

Ernest flicked it up for Harris, who erased a bit of the deficit.  Following a Hay Springs fault, Ernest and Kelsey Waite teamed up to conclude another volley. Suddenly the score stood at 14-9, with the Warriors carving a significant notch from the Hawks' advantage.

"I knew we could do it," Jenkins said, emphasizing the possibility. Doing it, she added, required just a bit more focus.

"You have to anticipate that you will get the points back," Berner explained. "You know you have to pick it up."

Hay Springs stretched their lead to five, at 15-10. But the Warriors again set to work.

Kelsey Waite's presence at the net returned the serve to Leyton and Ernest recorded three quick points-one on a clean ace and two on deliveries the Hawks could not kill. With the score at 16-15 in favor of Hay Springs and Ernest still on the line, Berner directed a set toward Jenkins, who caught the defense flat footed, ripping a diagonal shot to empty space in the far corner.

"Those are my favorite balls to hit," Jenkins said with a broad smile.

From that point, the Warriors edged out in front, 20-17. But Hay Springs fought their way back to a 20-20 draw, thanks to an ace serve by Whitney Heiting and a Leyton backcourt error.

That's when Kelsey Waite finally knew for sure her team had clinched a berth in the state tournament.

"We work on that in practice all the time," she said. "We set the score at 20-20 and go."

Over the final few minutes of play, the Hawks managed one point. Meanwhile Ernest set up Jenkins for a laser shot and Harris for two deliberate spikes. Hay Springs conceded a point when Tlustos misfired. So when Diedra Waite sliced the center of the Hawks' defense with a vicious shot, Leyton secured the district title and that long awaited return to state.

"I think we've been focused on state from the get-go," libero Rushman observed. In the past the team has returned home after just one game. "This time we're focused on winning," she continued. "We want something more."

That intensity was apparent in the first two sets. The Warriors battled step for step with Hay Springs in the opener, at least until a pair of explosive shots by Harris. With the score at 8-6 in favor of Layton, Diedra Waite stepped up to the service line and put together a 7 point run, aided by the combination of Ernest and sister Kelsey Waite, who dominated the net during the streak.

Leyton never looked back, picking up a 25-14 win.

"The momentum shifted to our side," Diedra Waite said of her time at the line. "We took it from there."

In the second, both sides struggled for footing, trading points one or two at a time. The Warriors held their opponents at bay with an ace serve by Harris that bested Jesse Heiting on the Hawks' back line, and the net presence of Ernest, Jenkins and the Waite sisters, who transformed themselves into solid walls every time the Hawks tried to rally.

Eventually the Warriors began to push Hay Springs away. A Harris dig allowed Ernest to feed Jenkins at the net. Ernest and Kelsey Waite teamed up for a block. Ernest then took on the Hawks' front line solo, rejecting a shot and then deftly tapping their next return to the floor. Despite a sloppy stretch at the finish, Leyton captured a 25-16 victory to set up the finale-and the trip to Grand Island.

Afterward, the younger players allowed themselves to be swept up by the reality of their accomplishment.

"It feels great," sophomore Diedra Waite said. "I could just cry."

For veterans of state, a sense of anticipation was apparent. Ernest congratulated teammates and spoke to media, but a look of fierce determination remained fixed in her eyes.

"I'm excited," Kelsey Waite acknowledged. "We're a new team-we can compete."

On Thursday night, results from around the state were just filtering in. The Warriors had no idea who they would face in the opening round. They did express two certainties: the competition would be tough and they were a team that could match it.

"I've had great teams," Craig pointed out. "But we're balanced. There is no one girl they can key on, they are all strong."

After rallying to win the third set on Thursday night, the t-shirt and its challenge seemed to define the moment. Craig had challenged her team to live up to it during that crucial time out. Now Harris had an answer.

"We're a great team," she said. "We can perservere."