Never ring the bell: Andale volleyball wins first Kansas high school state title
Before the start of every volleyball season, Andale coach Kaylie Bergkamp is intentional in selecting a theme that becomes her team’s rallying cry.
“Never, ever, ring the bell” was the choice she landed on for this season’s catch-phrase, a reference to the bell that must be rung by Navy SEAL trainees in order to quit. After Andale had lost in the Class 4A state championship match the last two seasons, Bergkamp wanted a theme of perseverance for this season.
Andale never really came close to ringing the bell up until the final match of the season when the Indians found themselves back in the state championship match and trailing Ottawa 11-4 in the third set.
“Those second-place finishes start creeping in from the previous years,” Bergkamp said. “It would have been easy to say, ‘Here we go again’ and lose some belief.”
Every key Andale player on the floor at Hutchinson Sports Arena on Saturday had also been in the same situation a year ago and felt the devastation of coming up short.
Except this time, they couldn’t but think of the same phrase etched on a piece of wood the team carried with them everywhere they go.
“Never ring the bell,” Andale senior Annabeth Baalmann repeated. “It’s so hard not to get down in that situation, but you can’t have any doubt. We never gave up.”
Instead of panicking, Andale realized the best version of itself. The offense, once so reliant on McKenzie Fairchild, suddenly started to pick up with junior Maddie Schrandt providing the spark and Baalmann and Camryn Winter dishing out the assists. The block of Emery May, Jaley Eck and Jenna Kuepker came alive. Grace Gorges and Eva Preister were coming through with digs.
And the program that had been haunted by two straight championship losses found themselves celebrating a comeback victory that more than made up for the years of heartbreak, as Andale rallied to win the third set over Ottawa and secure the first state volleyball championship in school history with a 26-24, 23-25, 25-21 victory.
“I’ve never felt anything like that before,” said Fairchild after delivering a match-best 23 kills. “I’ve never experienced anything like that. It was an amazing moment.”
Following the title-winning point on a Schrandt kill off Ottawa’s block, Andale’s entire team rushed the court and collapsed together in a celebratory dog pile. Tears streamed down the faces of almost everyone in joy.
“It was so amazing and so emotional because you finally know what you’re doing in your gym is working and your players believe in what you’re preaching,” Bergkamp said. “That’s a big deal to me. I love every one of my kids and they know that.”
Since Bergkamp took over the program in 2018, Andale has finished in fourth, second and second at the state tournament. The talent and work ethic had always been there at Andale, so Bergkamp went to work on the mental side in pursuit of the elusive first-place finish.
It’s not a coincidence that Andale has exited every huddle since the summer screaming the same thing: “State champs!”
“I think once you say that and then you start to say it so much, you start to believe it,” Bergkamp said.
It certainly felt like Andale was speaking it into existence after the first set when it rallied from a 24-22 deficit to win four straight points to claim the early lead. Even in the second set, Andale erased a five-point deficit to tie the score at 20, but ultimately fell, 25-23.
Fairchild was the most dynamic player on the court. The 5-foot-11 junior possesses the rare ability to deliver even when everyone in the gym knows the ball is coming her way. She has the athleticism to hit over blocks, the power to hit through blocks and the intelligence to hit around blocks.
“As a setter, you want to try to spread out the net so you don’t get stacked, but when it comes to the tough teams, you have to get the ball to who you know and who you trust to put the ball away,” Baalmann said. “She’s a Fairchild. She’s got it in her blood.”
But Ottawa made adjustments and started to slow down Fairchild’s efficiency. All of a sudden, Andale’s reliable source of kills had dried up and Ottawa had put the Indians in an 11-4 hole in the decisive third set.
In her team’s time of desperation, it was Schrandt who rose to the occasion in the third set. In a recent return from injury, Schrandt had struggled to put the ball down in the first two sets, but she found a return to form in the third and delivered timely kills to resuscitate Andale.
“My teammates helped me a lot. They were telling me it was alright and just to get back to it,” Schrandt said. “They trusted me and they gave me the confidence I needed. It felt so good to be able to do that for my team. I put my heart into it.”
After trailing 11-4, Andale won 15 of the next 19 points to take a 19-15 lead. Once Andale took its first lead, the wave of momentum was too much to be denied.
“It’s tough to get out of those ruts when you’re down big like that,” Baalmann said. “But you just have to keep pushing and pushing.”
“’Gritty’ is a word we use in our gym a lot of the time,” Fairchild said. “We were just gritty.”
In 2018, Andale experienced the heartache of making it to the second day of the state tournament and leaving without a team trophy.
In 2019 and 2020, Andale experienced the heartache of reaching the ultimate destination and coming up just short.
Without those experiences, Andale never would have been able to experience the tremendous sense of accomplishment it felt on Saturday to conclude a 40-3 season. This was far from a one-year achievement — this had been four years in the making.
“This is not just for this team, this is for our whole program, our whole school and it’s for the past teams that have made it here before us,” Fairchild said. “This is for everyone.”
Cheney reaches another 3A final
Since coach Sara Walkup took over the Cheney program in 2009, the Cardinals have been a model of consistency at the Class 3A level.
In the 13 seasons since, Cheney has made it to the second day of the state tournament eight times and come away with either a second- or third-place trophy five times.
Cheney added another one on Saturday, as the Cardinals topped Smoky Valley in a three-set thriller, 24-26, 25-8, 25-19, in the semifinals and then lost to Olathe Heritage Christian in the 3A state championship match, 25-22, 25-22. It is the third time Cheney has lost in the state title match since 2013.
The Cardinals (40-4) were led this season by a strong senior class of Brooklyn Wewe, Olivia Albers, Korri Lies and Lacy Luehrs, while the attack was also bolstered by Campbell Hague, Alex Bittner and Anna Martin.
Hillsboro, Garden Plain both come away with 2A trophies
In a rematch between two of the area’s best Class 2A programs, it was Hillsboro who came away with a thrilling, third-set victory over Garden Plain, 19-25, 25-17, 25-22, to advance to the 2A championship match in Dodge City.
Hillsboro came close to pushing Smith Center in the first set of the title match, but ultimately fell in straight sets, 25-23, 25-12, to conclude a 35-10 season. The Trojans were led by standout seasons from senior Sammie Saunders, junior Kori Arnold, sophomore Zaylee Werth, junior Ella Suderman and sophomore Savannah Shahan.
Garden Plain (34-10) also added to its trophy collection after winning the third-place match over Ellinwood in three sets, 23-25, 25-6, 25-19. The Owls were led this season by seniors Brooke Hammond, Sophia Smith and Naomi Dooley, while also receiving boosts from juniors Sydney Puetz, Molly Zoglman and Ryleigh Stuhlsatz plus sophomore Kaylor Wasinger.
Pretty Prairie reaches 1A championship match
The dream season for Pretty Prairie ended exactly where it wanted, the Class 1A Division I championship match in Dodge City, but the final result proved elusive.
It came down to a third and final set, but Pretty Prairie ultimately fell in a heartbreaker to Spearville to decide the state title in a 25-10, 24-26, 25-19 loss. It capped a 42-5 season for Pretty Prairie, which was led by Aubrey Young, McKenna Vogl, Bailey Young, Carlin Stucky, Jorah Harbaugh and Emma Hendrickson.
Kansas high school state volleyball results
Class 6A (at Salina’s Tony’s Pizza Events Center)
Blue Valley West def. Washburn Rural, 21-25, 25-16, 28-26
Blue Valley North def. Olathe Northwest, 25-16, 20-25, 25-23
3rd: Olathe Northwest def. Washburn Rural, 26-24, 25-18
1st: Blue Valley North def. Blue Valley West, 25-10, 25-23
Class 5A (at Salina’s Tony’s Pizza Events Center)
Lansing def. Topeka Seaman, 25-14, 25-18
St. James Academy def. St. Thomas Aquinas, 25-23, 23-25, 26-24
3rd: St. Thomas Aquinas def. Topeka Seaman, 25-18, 25-21
1st: Lansing def. St. James Academy, 25-20, 25-22
Class 4A (at Hutchinson Sports Arena)
Andale def. Baldwin, 25-17, 25-9
Ottawa def. Bishop Miege, 25-23, 25-19
3rd: Bishop Miege def. Baldwin, 25-18, 25-19
1st: Andale def. Ottawa, 26-24, 23-25, 25-21
Class 3A (at Hutchinson Sports Arena)
Cheney def. Smoky Valley, 24-26, 25-8, 25-19
Olathe Heritage Christian def. Beloit, 25-23, 25-20
3rd: Smoky Valley def. Beloit, 19-25, 25-23, 25-18
1st: Olathe Heritage Christian def. Cheney, 25-22, 25-22
Class 2A (at Dodge City’s United Wireless Arena)
Smith Center def. Ellinwood, 25-20, 25-11
Hillsboro def. Garden Plain, 19-25, 25-17, 25-22
3rd: Garden Plain def. Ellinwood, 23-25, 25-6, 25-19
1st: Smith Center def. Hillsboro, 25-23, 25-12
Class 1A Division I (at Dodge City’s United Wireless Arena)
Pretty Prairie def. Centralia, 25-20, 22-25, 25-15
Spearville def. Victoria, 25-14, 25-21
3rd: Centralia def. Victoria, 25-19, 25-20
1st: Spearville def. Pretty Prairie, 25-10, 24-26, 25-19
Class 1A Division II (at Emporia’s White Auditorium)
Lebo def. Central Plains, 25-23, 25-20
Hanover def. Hutchinson Central Christian, 25-12, 25-21
3rd: Central Plains def. Hutchinson Central Christian, 25-19, 26-24
1st: Hanover def. Lebo, 25-18, 25-19
This story was originally published October 30, 2021 at 6:31 PM.
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