Pool play seeding and schedule
SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
HALSTEAD, Kan. — The Halstead High School volleyball team is headed to the state tournament for the first time in 33 years, Friday, when the Dragons open pool play at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
Halstead has come up short of a state bid in each of the last two seasons, falling in the sub-state title game to Cheney in 2022 and Smoky Valley in 2023. Both of those teams would eventually fall in the class 3A state title game. The Dragons are the No. 1 seed in 3A with a 38-2 record.
"The last couple of years we've been in those sub-state championships and we've been so close," head coach Diana Schutte said. "It can be daunting in our area, because no matter which way you go, the chances of going, you need to have talent, but you also kind of need a little bit of luck. It's almost a bit of relief, that finally we get this experience and we get to give these girls that work so hard year after year what they deserve. It's not only special for our girls, but also for our community."
The town of Halstead will hold a send-off for the team on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. before making the 26-mile trip west on Highway 50 to the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
"It's going to be pretty special to see everyone lined Main Street," Schutte said. "It'll be pretty neat to see the entire town and Main Street out, I hope the girls will be able to soak that all in."
The Dragons defeated rival Hesston (25-16, 25-20) in the sub-state championship game to punch the ticket to state. This comes after Halstead beat Southeast of Saline (25-14, 25-20) in the sub-state semifinal.
"I think that win against Hesston was more important to some of the town folks than it was for some of the girls," Schutte said. "Some of the community members said they wanted to go to state, but to beat Hesston to go to state felt pretty good."
The goal of making it to the state tournament was definitely on the table, but Schutte knew it was going to be tough after graduating two of its top players from last season.
"The two seniors we lost last year (Dominique Schutte, Lauren Wilson) had such a high energy and that's something you can't always coach, so I was a little concerned coming in to this season, not only losing our top hitter, but also our big energy players. I told this team that you can't just teach that, you've got to practice it, so we were at a tournament this summer and just had so much energy and the girls were meshing really well together. I thought then that we got a shot, we've got some talent, but we also have some really good energy, so that's when it kind of hit me there."
Schutte was in the stands as a spectator in 2020 and 2021 when the Halstead girls basketball team qualified for the state tournament, coached by her husband, Derek. The roles will be reversed on Friday, when Derek will be in the stands watching his wife coach with their eight kids.
"He's been so supportive," Schutte said. "I know some really great female coaches who sometimes didn't have that support to where when they have kids they're just we can't coach anymore with our family, and not one time in my career has he said he doesn't think we can do this. He has always said he's got the kids and has allowed me to do what I need to do, and not everybody has that support system like I have."
When team introductions are done on Friday afternoon, there will be two Schutte's announced, not only Diana, but her daughter, Dalaina, who is a senior. Dalaina is the Dragons' setter and surpassed 2,000 assists in her career earlier this year, and currently sits at 2,157.
"We do a very good job of separating mom from coach," Schutte said. "When she comes home we don't even talk about volleyball, but knowing since she was little, this is a dream and every year being so close in basketball and volleyball, just the heartache. She's not just a player, it's her parents' living, so a little extra special for her and I know this has been a dream of playing in the Sports Arena. I'm so glad she gets to do it with these girls she has worked so hard with."
There are a few other family connections on this Halstead team, as well.
"We have Tess Williams and her cousin Annie Williams," Schutte said. "Their vibe on the court and on the bench is pretty funny how they go back and forth, just because their dads (Grant and Alex) are so funny, so that's been fun to watch. Then we have a set of twins with Piper and Jordy Schroeder, they're both sophomores this year. Plus, Dalaina and me, so it's kind of like a big family out there."
Halstead has several other players to keep an eye on this weekend.
"Katharine Engel is a junior and one of our outsides and she has been starting since her freshman year," Schutte said. "She is one of those that gets after it every day, and she is so undersized, like she is so much smaller than other outsides, but she is fierce and strong. Our other outside is Bailey Bernal, she is a sophomore that spent most of her offseason traveling the country to play sand volleyball, so she sees the court really well and her court sense is great. Our libero, Piper Schroeder tore her ACL the second or third game of basketball season last year. She is one of our strongest serve receivers and is freakishly fast, so she is everywhere. Daynica Euwer has adjusted to some changes and had a fantastic sub-state."
The Dragons have been focusing on things that have got them to this point in the season at practice this week.
"We've been focusing on things that we're good at," Schutte said. "We've been working a lot on communicating together, and also just our defense. The other teams in our pool are just so much bigger than us, so trying to fine tune our blocks and slowing the ball down a little bit to keep the ball alive. We're really good at out-of-system balls, which in the past we haven't done well, so just being able to get digs off of peoples hits and wearing them out."
Halstead has won the Central Kansas League preseason tournament, the Marion Spikefest tournament, the Canton-Galva tournament, and the Central Kansas League regular season title. The Dragons have wins over Little River (1A state qualifier), Inman (2A state qualifier) and two wins over Hoisington (3A state qualifier).
Schutte, which picked up her 400th career victory earlier this season, also led Hodgeman County to the 1A state tournament in 2010.
"Every division is different and I am excited to get this opportunity at Hutch," Schutte said. "I knew how 1A worked, so I'm excited to see the competition this weekend. It's going to be a bloodbath all weekend, and will be a lot of fun to be a part of."