In 8th year together, Wichita-area trio powers Pitt State to first women’s Final Four
It started as a joke.
When Halstead’s Karenna Gerber, Maize’s Sydney Holmes and McPherson’s Grace Pyle were about to begin considering their college options, the three AAU teammates joked they should stick together.
As three of the best Kansas players in the class of 2021, each one was attracting Division I interest. But Pittsburg State, a prestigious program at the Division II level, wanted all three — and that mattered.
“We made that pact and we talked about it, but it was almost like a joke,” Gerber said. “But then Syd committed (to Pitt State) and I was like, ‘Alright, we’re really doing this.’ It just felt like home to us.”
Rather than chasing a Division I dream separately, the trio trusted that their chemistry and competitiveness could help them achieve their dreams for one of the best programs in one of the best conferences at the Division II level.
That vision has played out exactly how they imagined, as all three Wichita-area players are starters for a Pitt State team (33-3) that will play No. 1 seed Grand Valley State (36-2) in the Final Four of the NCAA Division II tournament at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Pittsburgh, Pa.
“Being from Kansas, we all knew how good Pitt State was and how good the MIAA was,” Holmes said. “I don’t think any of us got caught up in the ego of going D1. We’ve been around good basketball our whole lives and we felt like that was the right fit for us to win championships.”
All three players were part of the rotation as freshmen, while Gerber and Pyle elevated to starters as sophomore with Holmes serving as a super sub before joining them in the starting five as a junior.
Since the trio began playing more minutes as sophomores, the Gorillas have a combined 80-19 record (80.8% win rate) the past three seasons.
“Being around like-minded people attracts other winners and competitors,” Pitt State coach Amanda Davied said. “Finding winners and competitors like them are sometimes few and far between, so to find three in the same class who have that chemistry together was pretty special.”
All three are talented basketball players, but their competitiveness set them apart at an early age.
Their 8-year run began on a Next Level Eclipse team that played AAU games on the Adidas circuit and was coached by Holmes’ father, Drew. There were many wins and many competitive games against teams with high-profile recruits headed toward the Big 12 and SEC.
It’s been surreal for their former coach to watch the trio go on to sweep MIAA regular season and tournament championships, then reach the first Final Four in program history at Pitt State.
“This ride has been absolutely magical,” Drew Holmes said. “And I consider Grace and Karenna my kids just as much as Syd because I’ve spent so much time with them. This is a special, special group and we’ve been talking about this for so long and it doesn’t always take shape. You don’t always get to reach your dreams. There’s not many people in this world who can say they played in a Final Four.”
Making the experience even more special is that the trio has been joined by two other Kansas natives — Goddard’s Maycee James and Eudora’s Harper Schreiner — in the starting lineup.
James, a newcomer this season, has fit the temperament of the team seamlessly.
“I went on a visit and the next day I committed,” James said. “I saw Harper after we scrimmaged and she said, ‘C’mon, it’s a bunch of Kansas kids. Let’s go do it together.’ For it all to come to fruition, all I can say is that I’m super blessed to be able to be a part of this group. This just shows that there’s a lot of talent in Kansas and if we come together, we can make something special happen.”
Pitt State has fallen victim to some slow starts in the national tournament, twice needing to rally from 15-point deficits in the first half.
That wouldn’t always be possible without the chemistry and bond the all-Kansas group shares.
“I think it’s a huge advantage for us because we all know what the other is thinking,” Holmes said. “It feels a lot like playing with your sisters growing up. You know what everyone is thinking. And with Harper and Mayce joining, we’ve all become great friends and friends that I know I can count on the rest of my life.”
“I love playing with them, but honestly my favorite part is just being around them because of who they are as people,” Gerber said. “They’ll always have my back and I hope they know that I’ll always have theirs too.”
Regardless of whether or not they hoist the national trophy by the end of this week, the trio accomplished what they set out to do some eight years ago — stick together, win together and make history.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling and I honestly don’t think this run will sink in until a long time from now,” Pyle said. “It will take me a while to fully comprehend my time here at Pitt and my time with KG and Syd. All I know is that I wouldn’t want to play with anybody else.”
This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 5:48 PM with the headline "In 8th year together, Wichita-area trio powers Pitt State to first women’s Final Four."
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