Back to State; Lakin takes 3A Sub-State Tournament title

Scott City, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–It looked as though it would be a wide open field at the Class 3A Sub-State Volleyball Tournament on Saturday in Scott City. As the top seed, the Lakin Broncs ended up qualifying for their first state tournament appearance since 2004, as they defeated second-seeded Hoisington in three sets to earn a spot in the Class 3A State Tournament at White Auditorium in Emporia, beginning Friday.

Lakin (31-9) wasted little time in advancing out of the first round, as they defeated the young team from Scott City (5-27) 25-8, 25-14. After a lengthy break, the Lady Broncs faced an unfamiliar foe Norton. The Lady Jays took down Southwestern Heights (16-20) 25-17, 25-21 to advance to the semi-finals. Lakin would pull away in both sets against Norton (12-22) in a 25-19, 25-18 win, putting them in the championship match.

On the bottom half of the bracket, Hoisington (22-17) had trouble putting away Russell (5-27) in their opening round, but prevailed in three sets 25-27, 25-11, 25-16, and would face Phillipsburg in a back and forth match in the semi-finals. The Lady Panthers came in with a two-set sweep of Cimarron (8-24) 25-16, 25-17.  In the semi-final match, Phillipsburg (19-18) would pull away and take the first set 25-19. The last two sets would be tightly contested, as the Lady Cardinals would take 26-24, 25-20 set wins to put them into the finals match. 

In the finals, Hoisington picked up from where they left off from their previous match, as they would throttle Lakin 25-13 in the first set. The Lady Broncs would buck off the rough first set, and battle back in the second set to rally for a 25-22 win. Their momentum would roll into the last set, as they pulled away with a 25-16 win, sending them to Emporia.

Lakin Coach Steve Davidson

Lakin is the No. 5 seed in the Class 3A State Tournament in Emporia. They will take on No. 4 seed Wellsville (35-5) at 4:30, No. 1 seed  Douglass (36-2) at 5:30, and No. 8 seed Cherokee-Southeast (19-19) on Friday in pool play. The other pool features No. 2 seed Hillsboro (36-3), No. 3 seed Hesston (35-3), No. 6 seed Silver Lake (30-9), and No. 7 seed Nemaha Central (32-11).