DODGE CITY – The Central Plains’ Oiler Magic worked again. The 11-loss Oilers rolled through five matches unbeaten to beat Lebo for the second time, 26-24, 25-23 to secure back-to-back 1A state volleyball championships.
Oiler standout Kassidy Nixon blasted the match-winning point against the Wolves. Earlier, the Oilers (32-11) had to fight through a pair of hard-fought three-set matches. Nixon led the Oilers' crisp hitting with 87 winners and a .400 hitting percentage in five matches. Libero Callie Zink played at the top of her game with 74 digs and 81 serves received.
Oilers competing were 1 Anna Thielen, 2 Mollie Steiner, 5 Kassidy Nixon, 6 Riley Thompson, 8 Addyson Ogle, 11 Ryenne Cunningham, 13 Lexi Oeser, 14 Shaylah Kempke, 18 Kashlin Beck, 24 Melissa Donecker, 26 Krystal Weeks and 41 Callie Zink.
Riley Thompson delivered 109 assists. Ryenne Cunningham had 27 winners and 45 digs. Lexi Oeser contributed 27 winners and 13 ace serves. Shaylah Kempke delivered 15 winners.
"The girls showed great mental toughness. Winning back-to-back titles really validates the level of our players," said Oiler coach Lisa Crites. "I credit our schedule, which makes all the difference in the world."
The difference in the championship match was subtle, a couple of key blocks and splendid back row defense by Callie Zink, Callie Steiner and Ryenne Cunningham.
"Our back row was strong and the girls delivered some key blocks, which Lebo maybe hadn't seen too much," said Crites.
The Oilers were forced to play a pair of three-set matches. Central Plains defeated Central Prairie League rival St. John, 23-25, 25-12, 25-15; and outlasted Lebo, 21-25, 25-21, 25-17 in the first meeting. The Oilers defeated Pratt Skyline 25-16, 25-17 and downed St. John again 25-22, 25-19 in the 1A semifinals.
"We're not the best morning team and we usually have to work to get our game going," Crites said. "I wasn't concerned because this team has started slowly before. We stay in the present and don't look ahead. They are tough mentally and they are fighters."
St. John (22-21) defeated Skyline (23-11), 25-23, 19-25, 25-22 for third place. In pool play, Skyline defeated St. John, 25-23, 21-25, 27-25; and Lebo downed St. John, 25-14, 25-15.
Nixon returned from an injury in a 1A quarterfinal showdown against Central Prairie League rival Victoria, which split four matches against the Oilers.
"Lexi came back sharp. We played amazing volleyball when we beat Victoria. They deserved to be at state tournament," she said. "Victoria was right there with Lebo. Both have two great hitters and strong back rows."
Crites knew the Oilers off-season work would pay dividends.
"Pat Stiles helps run our fantastic weight training class," Crites said. "When we started our summer work, our chemistry clicked immediately. All that hard work with agility and conditioning paid off. We knew they'd be hurdles. We wanted to play our best volleyball at the end."
