SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
INMAN, Kan. — For the third consecutive season, the Inman High School volleyball team is headed to the class 2A state tournament. The Teutons are 39-2 and will open play at United Wireless Arena in Dodge City as the No. 1 seed on Friday morning.
Inman has placed fourth in each of the last two state tournaments, but are hopeful the third trip will result in a state title. The Teutons will have the top-seed for the first time during this state tournament run, something that doesn't bother first-year head coach Kathy Russell.
"It's how its been all season," Russell said. "We finished league 16-0, so it seems like every team we play they play their best game with us. We are prepared for that and that is what makes the game fun, we wouldn't want it any other way. We want to earn that state title, we're going to be prepared as much as we can be. We're just going to give everything we have and that's how the girls look at things. They want to earn that state title. We wouldn't want it any other way."
The Teutons defeated Solomon (25-8, 25-4), Berean Academy (25-15, 25-18) and Wabaunsee (25-12, 25-13) in regional play. Inman then beat defending state champion, Hillsboro (25-16, 25-15), and then Moundridge (25-17, 25-17) to claim the sub-state title and punch their ticket to the state tournament.
"We had a tough road there," Russell said. "Our regional was a tough one with some tough teams in there. We just put our heads down and they played great, we were just so proud of them."
Russell is pleased with her team and how well they've performed this year.
"I am just thrilled with their progress," Russell said. "These girls are hardworking and very determined. Day one, their goal was to get back there and they really want to do well and take state. We're not done yet. They keep reminding me that they're not done yet. These last few weeks they've really just clicked and seem to be peaking at a good time and we've just been having the best time."
The Heart of America league will be well-represented in southwest Kansas this weekend.
"We're in an area where there are just so many good teams," Russell said. "We have three teams from our league that made it to state (Inman, Sedgwick, Wichita Central Christian Academy), it's just a really strong area, so we expect to play really tough teams."
The Teutons will open with fellow HOA member, Wichita Central Christian Academy on Friday morning in the pool play opener at 9:30 a.m.
"We played them at the Canton-Galva tournament," Russell said. "I know at that time they were missing one of their strongest players, so we're not taking them lightly, we know that when you get to this point, everybody is a threat and you have to respect that."
The other two teams in the Teutons' pool are the No. 4 seed Maranatha Christian Academy (37-6) out of Shawnee, and No. 5 seed Oakley (30-9).
"We've watched some tape on both of them," Russell said. "We watch a lot of game film and we really try adjust to what we're going to do and try to keep some things up our sleeves to surprise them. We're just preparing for anything, so that we can be competitive."
Russell knows that her team has state tournament experience, but getting that first match under their belt on Friday morning will relieve some of the pressure and stress.
"It sets the tone, I know our girls are going to come out on fire," Russell said. "I don't have to motivate these girls, they do it on their own and are ready to go. You want to get some wins under your belt and have a good record going into the semifinals and finals, but we're going to take it one match at a time."
Inman is led by University of Utah commit, Suttyn Harris. The junior has 415 kills and is hitting .413. Junior Kenna Woods has 204 kills and is hitting .226, while sophomore Taylor Froese has 189 kills and leads the team with 504 assists. Junior Morgan Froese leads the tea with 172 blocks, nearly two per set. Junior Adi Alcala is third on the team with 305 digs.
While the Teutons are preparing for the state tournament, Russell is making sure the girls are making memories they'll remember in the future.
"We're from a small town and it's an amazing community that we're from," Russell said. "The whole community is so thrilled, we had a little parade after regionals, and they're having a pep assembly for us on Thursday. The girls have been having wonderful practices, very focused, they're just ready to go."
The Teutons are focused on making sure everything is tuned up before heading to Dodge City.
"We're a very strong offensive team," Russell said. "We're really working on our defense to balance that out. We're working a lot on serve receive. We want to be able to attack the ball right off of serve receive. We want to get teams out of system before they even get a chance to get the ball."
This will be the first-ever state tournament trip as a head coach for Russell, although she has been to state twice as an assistant at Trinity Catholic.