Goodland attempting to win at 3A State Volleyball

Goodland Volleyball is looking to take thigs at least a step further at the 2021 Class 3A State Volleyball Tournament. They advanced to the state semifinals a year ago. (Goodland VB Twitter)

While 2020 is a year most people want to forget, it was a significant one for Goodland High School Volleyball.

A year which featured a 34-win season and a trip to the Class 3A State Volleyball Semifinals was the starting point for this season's Cowgirls.

With a 37-3 record - two of those losses coming to Class 3A schools and the third to Hutchinson, who is the No. 3 seed in the Class 6A State draw - only a trip to the finals, and ideally some state gold - would make this season even sweeter.

Goodland is the No. 6 seed in the Class 3A State Volleyball Tournament this season, and will have to survive Cheney, Nemaha Central and Olathe-Heritage Christian to have a chance to at least repeat last season's efforts.

The Cowgirls are relying on a number of familiar names - junior Talexa Weeter, junior Olivia Lehman, senior Emma Lehman and junior Lindsey Cure, to name a few.

Weeter and Emma Lehman are names many fans would recognize - both are also standouts for the girls basketball squad.

And like their basketball brethren, they're known for defense. Five Goodland players entered the Sub-State tournament averaging more than two digs per set.

Head coach Angie Brumbaugh's team will face a different test than a year ago. Because of the COVID-19 restrictions in place last season, teams participated in a single-elimination tournament. This year, however, the tournament is back to a two-day format, with pool play happening on Friday and the semifinals and championship matches on Saturday.

To make it back to the semifinals, the Cowgirls will likely have to win at least twice to make it back to the semis. They'll open up at 8:30 am Friday against third-seeded Olathe-Heritage Christian (35-2), followed by an 11:30 am match against the second seed in the tournament, Cheney (37-2). They will play back-to-back, facing No. 7 Nemaha Central (36-6) at 12:30 pm.

if they survive that, the semifinals will begin at 9 am Saturday. Consolation and Championship matches will begin 25 minutes after the last semifinal is finished.