ORIGINALLY WRITTEN STAFF
The Goessel Bluebirds won the right to play in the Class 1-A state volleyball tournament in Hays Oct. 27-28 by winning the sub-state
tournament in Stafford this weekend.
Goessel (23-10) faced a tough Caldwell team (28-7) in round one. The Bluejays took a commanding 7-0 lead, but after Caldwell tied the game at 9-9, Goessel would not score again, losing 9-15.
Caldwell carried their momentum into game two, taking a 6-0 lead. But the Bluebirds regrouped and, after clawing back to 8-8, a deflated Caldwell team would score only once more, giving Goessel a 15-9 victory.
Game three was a vicious battle. With the score tied at 10-10, the Bluejays, led by Bethany Amstutz who had 13 kills, sealed the victory with five consecutive points to win 15-10.
The only barrier between the Bluejays and the state tournament was a tough Sylvan Grove team.
The Bluejays dominated game one, winning easily 15-7. They carried the momentum into game two, starting with an ace by Lindsey Unruh.
With Goessel carrying a 7-0 lead, the Mustangs coach tried to turn the momentum by calling timeouts, and making several substitutions.
But the Bluebirds would not be denied, with Amstutz smashing a spike to win game three and a state tournament berth.
“I could have never imagined this at the beginning of the season,” said Coach Sandy Banaman. “But these girls were very determined and showed so much improvement during the season.”
On their way to sub-state, Goessel hosted the regional competition, defeating Burrton in round one, 15-3, 15-7.
The Bluejays beat second-seeded Quivera Heights in round two, 15-11, 15-11.
In the finals, Goessel lost two close matches to Chase, 16-14, 15-12. The top two teams advanced to sub-state.
Goessel has the No. 8 seed for the state tournament, and will face top-seeded and undefeated Centralia (36-0) in the first round of pool play.
Pool play begins at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, with bracket play starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Goessel volleyball earns berth in Class 1A tournament
