Scott City wins Class 2 state championship

The Class 1 third place game is wrapping up here at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, which means the Scott City Rams will be facing the Hermann Bearcats for the Class 2 championship in about 20 minutes or so.

The Rams are standing by in one corner of the gym, watching the action. Some look bored, some look anxious, some look excited, some are sitting and some are standing.

The Hermann players have just come out to the main area as well and are standing in a group at the other end of the gym. The Rams are 0-3 against Hermann over the last two seasons here at the final four, and they've certainly got their work cut out for them today.

In my opinion, the key to Scott City's chances is two-fold. First, the Rams must block better than they did against the Bearcats yesterday. Their block simply not much of a factor, particularly early on.

Second, and this is related to blocking, Scott City must find a way to slow down Hermann's Shelby Winkelmann. On a team of standouts, she is the best player on the court and she tortured Scott City yesterday with a combination of well-placed tips and block-eluding attacks. She finished with 14 of her team's 26 kills against Scott City yesterday. She got those 14 kills in just 25 attempts and with only one error. I think if Brooke Simpson can get her a couple of times early on and Hermann is forced to a least think about going somewhere else, the dynamics of the match will change.

All that being said, Scott City still has a big task ahead of it today. Hermann is extremely talented at all spots on the court. We'll see what happens.

12:02 -- Hermann is going through its on-court warmup now with the Rams watching intently from the sideline. Scott City has not had its time on court yet.

12:08 -- Scott City on the court now for warmups. Katie Hogan is dialed in.

12:15 -- Ceremony recognizing teams who made the final four 20 years ago going on now. This delay would be killing me if I was about to play, but I'm not so...let's just hope the players get on the floor soon.

12:18 -- Rams' starters being introduced now. Then Hermann's, then we'll be ready to go at last.

Game one:

It is eerily quiet in here just before the start.

Just noticed that the Notre Dame volleyball team is here watching. It plays for third place in Class 3 at 8:30 tonight.

1-0 Hermann. Kill for Hermann to start but the Rams' block got a piece of it.

2-0 Hermann. Brooke Simpson stuffed.

2-1 Hermann. Good job by Brooke to tip an off set and get it down.

3-1 Hermann. Kill for Winkelmann, but again, the SC block got a piece.

4-2 Hermann. Mikah Simpson just missed on a hit then Hermann missed a serve.

4-3 Hermann. Katie Hogan with the kill out of the middle.

5-3 Hermann. Clean kill for Winkelmann.

6-3 Hermann. Another block for the Rams that gets between the blocker and the net for a Hermann point.

6-4 Hermann. Mikah with a kill.

7-4 Hermann.

7-5 Hermann. Hogan gets it down against Hermann's triple block. Wow!

7-6 Hermann. This is fantastic volleyball. Hogan with another kill. SC is in this.

8-7 Hermann. Teams exchange missed serves.

8-8 tie. Hitting error by Hermann.

9-8 Hermann. Free ball costs SC.

9-9 tie. Bearcats miss another serve.

10-9 Hermann. Long, hard-fought point ends with a Winkelmann kill.

10-10 tie. The official called four hits, but as far as Scott City is concerned Brooke and a teammate just stuffed a Hermann player.

11-10 Hermann.

12-10 Hermann. Tip into the block gets down for Winkelmann.

13-10 Hermann. Brooke stuffed in middle.

13-11 Hermann. Lift called on Bearcat setter. Brooke to serve.

13-12 Hermann. Mikah with the kill. She's probably had the most success against Hermann all weekend.

13-13 tie. Hitting error for Hermann.

14-13 Scott City. Mikah with another kill on the outside. This time on a high set, which makes it more impressive.

15-13 Scott City. Hermann called for four hits again when it looked like the SC block could've had a stuff. Same result.

The Scott City block definitely made the trip today.

16-14 SC. Mikah with another kill.

16-15 SC. Mikah in the net.

17-15 SC. Hogan with a tip of an off-timed quick set that gets down.

18-15 SC. Hogan with an emphatic kill. The best of the day probably.

Timeout Hermann. The Rams are excited right now but there is still a lot of direction being given and taken in the huddle.

Mikah to serve.

19-15 SC. Stephanie Essner is a soft shot perfectly placed in the back corner. That was definitely a plan coming in, the Rams have been using that all day.

20-15 SC. Hitting error for Hermann.

20-16 SC. Bad pass for SC and Katie Diebold can't quite get it out of the net.

21-16 SC. Lift called on Hermann.

22-17 SC. Hitting error for Hermann. Timeout Bearcats!

The Rams are definitely in the Bearcats' heads a bit, much like the Bearcats got in the SC players heads with a fast start yesterday.

Hogan to serve.

22-18 SC. Rams get a block but Herman recovers with a kill from Winkelmann out of the back.

23-18 SC. Brooke with a kill off the top of the block.

23-19 SC. Clean kill for Hermann.

24-19 SC. Jordan McFall sets the second ball over the net on a tip. It was perfect and got down. Another plan I'm guessing.

24-20 SC. Essner misses serve.

25-19 SC. I must've missed a point somewhere. My apologies. Final score is 25-19 according to scoreboard. Game ended with two-hits being called on Hermann.

Game two:

The Rams told me they were going to go back to their hotel last night and watch film on Hermann. They apparently did their homework well.

Obviously, Hermann isn't conceding the title just yet, though.

1-0 SC. Diebold with a kill to start things.

1-1 tie. Winkelmann kill.

2-1 SC. Mikah with another kill.

2-2 tie. Rams let the second hit fall on their side. Just a communication problem.

3-2 Hermann. Two hits called on SC.

3-3 tie. They have no answer for Mikah Simpson. Another kill for her off the block.

4-3 Hermann. Winkelmann kill.

4-4 tie. Hermann misses serve.

5-4 SC. Essner's tip eventually leads to point.

6-4 SC. Hitting error for Hermann.

7-4 SC. Hogan takes second hit on slight overpass from the Rams' back row and puts it down.

7-5 SC. Winkelmann kill out of the back.

7-6 SC. Essner hit goes into the net.

7-7 tie. Hogan gets stuffed.

8-7 Hermann. Hogan get a block but the Rams can't cover. This is high, high, high quality volleyball right now.

9-7 Hermann. Long point ends with Hermann tip/mishit getting down.

9-8 Hermann. Brooke with kill from back row. They rarely showed Hermann that yesterday.

10-8 Hermann. Tip gets down for Hermann.

11-8 Hermann. Lift called on Diebold.

11-9 Hermann. Brooke with a kill on the outside.

11-10 Hermann. Hitting error for Hermann...directly caused by a huge SC double block the Bearcat was trying to get around.

12-11 Hermann. Brooke with kill. Rams got lucky on that point. Winkelmann got no block but caught some of the net with her attack.

12-12 tie.

13-12 SC. Now it's Hermann's turn for miscommunication on the second hit.23

14-12 SC. Winkelmann tip goes out of bounds.

14-13 SC.

15-13 SC. Mikah with a perfect tip behind the Hermann block.

15-14 SC. Winkelmann responds with a kill out of the middle.

15-15 tie. Winkelmann again. She was angered a bit when her tip was called out and is taking it out on the Rams.

16-15 SC. Mikah off the block for a kill.

17-15 SC. Hogan and Danielle Gibbons combine on a stuff.

18-15 SC. Ace for Katie Diebold. Timeout Hermann.

19-15 SC. Hogan and Mikah combine to block Winkelmann. Leads to SC point

20-15 SC. Hitting error for Hermann, again with a Bearcat trying to tip around the Rams' block.

21-15 SC. Mikah Simpson. For the kill. Again.

21-16 SC. Winkelmann to the back row to serve. Nice run of serves for Diebold for SC.

21-17 SC.

21-18 SC. Hogan just misses from the middle. Out of bounds.

22-18 SC. Mikah again. Now she's back to serve.

22-19 SC. Kill for Hermann.

22-20 SC. Hogan stuffed from back position.

23-20 SC. Hogan and Gibbons combine on another stuff. Timeout Hermann.

Still a ways to go, but you can't really say enough about the adjustments the Rams made after yesterday's loss. I don't think their success today is an accident.

24-20 SC. Brooke smash leads to point.

24-21 SC. Long point goes to Hermann.

24-22 SC. Hogan called for lift trying to recover a partially blocked ball.

25-22 SC! The Rams are state champs!!!

There are tears on both sides right now. I'll have so much more later. For now I'm off to talk to the team. What a performance...