DODGE CITY – Capping one of the best four-year runs in state volleyball history, senior-laden Little River delivered another masterclass. 

The Redskins cruised through the Class 1A Division I tournament at Dodge City’s United Wireless Arena, winning every set en route to their fourth consecutive state championship. Little River capped a 44-2 season with a 25-12, 25-17 win over Centralia in a rematch of last year’s title match. 

“Honestly, it leaves me speechless,” Little River senior outside/middle hitter Arika Feldman said. “As a kid, I never would have thought this was even possible. Looking back, it's been so fun.”

The four-peat punctuated the phenomenal careers of Little River’s senior class – Feldman, Adelynne Strecker, Evie Look, Havana Olander and Lucy Wright. The group has gone 162-14 over their careers with a 79-0 record against 1A opponents. 

“When you win three in a row, you've already proven yourself, and everybody was already super proud of them – whether or not we added another championship banner,” Little River coach Kim Rolfs said. “We went into the season with that mindset: Just perform. 

“I’m incredibly proud of the girls and how they stepped up and played for this whole tournament. You can tell they're champions, and they're going to be champions in life.”

The Redskins’ reign was never truly threatened. Centralia, runner-up for the second straight season, hung around in the second set of the title match, tying it at 13 before Little River scored the next seven points. The Redskins won a back-breaking point to go up 22-14 after diving digs from Strecker and Olander to put Little River on the brink. 

“I got the shivers,” Strecker said. “It was really cool, like, ‘Oh my gosh, you're right here, right on the edge of it.’ We just needed to put it together and end it.

“(Centralia) definitely gave us a hard-fought match,” Feldman said. “But us seniors, we've been here before, we knew what it was like. We just wanted it really bad. It just came down to teamwork and doing it together.”

The senior group had to bide their time before taking on starring roles for the Redskins. Last year as juniors, they took the baton from former standouts Alaina Eck, Aubrey Olander, Kate Ellwood, Ashley Stephenson and Kami Grasser to continue the program’s dominance.

“As freshmen and sophomores, we definitely had a big group ahead of us, so a lot of us had to try and push them, make them better, and work on ourselves,” Feldman said. “Especially down the stretch in these games, it really helps having had role models and to know what it's like, having seen it done before.”

Little River rolled to a 25-6, 25-16 win over Quinter in the semis while Centralia notched a 25-14, 25-23 victory over South Gray. 

“They came out all fired up and they were phenomenal,” Centralia coach Cindy Osterhaus said of her Panthers in the semis. 

Centralia, a perennial power with 15 state titles in program history, had its moments in the title match but Little River’s power at the net and lights-out defense proved too much for the Panthers to overcome. 

“They have a big block up there, which makes it hard for our hitters, but they also dig everything,” Osterhaus said. “They didn't let a ball drop and they were getting it over making us continually play. Kudos to them for doing such a great job of playing defense.”

Centralia finished 36-10. They’ll lose two seniors – Claire Heinen and Kieryn Franklin. The Panthers were led by a strong junior class including Hayden Kramer, Josie Haverkamp, Keelyn Rempe, Malayna Becker and Taylee Wells. 

“The girls worked really hard and they came such a long way,” Osterhaus said. “We've had some injuries and we came back from those, and they just battled, going from different positions sometimes. They just did a great job of coming in and playing hard.”

Little River’s two losses both came in three sets against undefeated Class 2A state champion Ellinwood.

Despite losing five seniors, the cupboard won’t be completely bare for the Redskins next year. Saelyn Raleigh, Avery Lafferty, Macy Schubert and Kate Hendrickson are among the key players who will be set to return. 

“We got some work to do,” Rolfs said. “When you lose a senior class like that, you hope that those kids see what they did to get there, and they follow suit.”

“They're going to be filling some big shoes,” Strecker said. “But I have full confidence in them that they're gonna be able to get back here next year and keep doing their job.”

South Gray beat Quinter 25-19, 25-21 in the third-place match. The Rebels finished 40-5. 

Quinter was making its first state tournament appearance since 2002. The Bulldogs finished 30-13.
 

 

 

 

 

CLASS 1A DIVISION I 

At United Wireless Arena, Dodge City

SEMIFINALS 

Little River def. Quinter 25-6, 25-16; Centralia def. South Gray 25-14, 25-23

CHAMPIONSHIP 

Little River def. Centralia 25-12, 25-17

THIRD PLACE 

South Gray def. Quinter 25-19, 25-21