State Champs!

Freshman Paige Powell hit a well-placed spike in the championship match against Kaycee that grabbed the final point for the Encampment Lady Tigers, securing the 1A state title for the first time since 1977.

Head coach Robin O'Leary said the final play represented the selfless sportsmanship that the players have shown all season. "Every single person on the floor-all six girls-touched the ball during that point, and so they were all a part of getting that final point in the championship match.

"It seemed like we were more grateful than we were proud or accomplished," O'Leary said, pointing to the crowd of local supporters and alumni that came to cheer the girls on at the tournament in Casper this weekend. O'Leary said that immediately after the game, the girls gave thanks to God and the crowd that they could play together as a team, not for winning the game.

Alyssa Barkhurst, Sierra Loftice, McKenzie Powell and P. Powell were named as All-Conference players, with Hailey Barkhurst gathering an honorable mention. A. Barkhurst, Loftice and M. Powell were also named All-State players. A. Barkhurst was honored as Player of the Year in the conference.

On Thursday, the girls went up against Rock River, winning in three sets (25-7, 25-14, 25-12). O'Leary said that the hitters were off their game slightly, but made up for it on defense and serve receiving. H. Barkhurst made 18 kills for the team, and Loftice had 33 assists. A. Barkhurst made 15 digs, with M. Powell and Cassidy Little each making 13.

The Lady Tigers were predicted to be the winners of the tourney, but the matches came with definite challenges. The second match against Lingle/Ft. Laramie on Friday took them five sets to win (25-27, 25-7, 25-12, 15-25, 15-7). "Lingle came out pretty strong. It was a struggle ... they hit in some of our weaker areas so we had to figure out how to stop that," O'Leary said, adding that the crowd began to chant their team motto, "Why not us?" which was suggested by Guy Erickson, and that really helped the girls get it together and finish the game. "Once our girls heard that chant coming from our crowd, they just decided that the game was over and they got the last few points and moved on to the championship match."

With a strong need for defense against Lingle/Ft. Laramie, A. Barkhurst made 29 digs, with H. Barkhurst behind her at 25 and Little with 24. A. Barkhurst made 14 kills in the difficult game. Loftice towed her weight with 35 assists.

In the four-set championship match against Kaycee (21-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-20), O'Leary said she cannot point to one player that really lead the team during the match. "They all had their shining moments in that game. Every single one of those players got a key point for us including Cheyanne Jordan who came off the bench to serve for one of our starters."

The stats prove it in this game once more, with several players exhibiting high numbers. Loftice had 41 assists, leading to 49 total kills against the Lady Bucs. Across the board, the girls dug 81 times, with A. Barkhurst and H. Barkhurst leading at 21 each.

All the girls proved themselves as key players, O'Leary said, but some players held a unique role to the success of the Tigers. The departing seniors were definite leaders for the team on and off the court during this championship season and will leave their mark on the hearts of the community as they move on. "They agreed to lead our team with selflessness, and that's what we focused on, was playing more for your teammates than for yourself."

A. Barkhurst and Little, the two senior Tigers this year, were excited and emotional about the end of the season. "It's our chance to leave our mark on the school," A. Barkhurst said, and Little agreed, adding that this was a great way to go out, but it has not yet hit them that this is their last season with the Tigers.

The seniors said that it was emotional when that last point was earned, and by the time they were singing the Encampment school song things had gotten very intense. Little and A. Barkhurst are confident that the younger Tigers will keep up the good work all the way down to junior high volleyball, and they hope that they have built a legacy.

"It was a huge blessing to each of us on that team, playing like that and being like that as a person," O'Leary said. The Lady Tigers took it upon themselves to clean up the gym after sweeping a tournament earlier this season, a principle that the middle school Lady Tigers took on after their big win this year. There appear to be generations of thoughtful netters growing out of the senior girls' agreement, a tradition that O'Leary believes supporters can look forward to for seasons to come. "Our two juniors that will be seniors this year have just been pillars on the courts during regionals and state during the last few seasons."

Though the season and post-season have come to an end, the Lady Tigers ended on the highest note they could with every plan to keep this up for years to come.