Lyman has eyes set on state title

Josh Hall
Posted 11/1/17

The Lyman High School volleyball team has had its eyes set on the Class 3A state championship game since the beginning of the season.

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Lyman has eyes set on state title

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LYMAN — The Lyman High School volleyball team has had its eyes set on the Class 3A state championship game since the beginning of the season.

The Lady Eagles have the time and date of the title match hanging in their locker room. 

Now, Lyman has its goal within reach as the Lady Eagles earned a state-qualifying berth after placing third at the West regional tournament on Saturday in Riverton.

“I feel like we found things we still need to work on before we head to state,” Lyman senior Kassidy Nelson said.

The Lady Eagles (26-5) earned the No. 3 seed in the West and will take on Rawlins, the No. 2 team in the East, in the first round on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. 

The winner will play the winner of Torrington (No. 4 East) and Riverton (No. 1 West) in a semifinal game at 6 p.m. Friday. The loser will play the loser of Torrington and Riverton in a consolation-round game at 1 p.m. Friday.

“I think we’re doing good,” Lyman junior McKailey Bradshaw said. “There’s still some things we can work on, but I do feel like we’re peaking at the right time.”

There’s a reason Nelson and Bradshaw both believe the Lady Eagles have some room for improvement.

Lyman entered the regional tournament last week in Riverton as a No. 1 seed. The Lady Eagles cruised to a 25-17, 26-24, 25-14 win over Lander in the first round before suffering a 30-28, 17-25, 25-16, 25-20 loss to Riverton in the second round.

With its season on the line Saturday, Lyman rolled to a 25-18, 25-19, 25-19 victory over Pinedale in a must-win contest. The Lady Eagles earned a third-place trophy later in the day after beating Mountain View 25-20, 25-14, 24-26, 25-21.

“We played really well the entire time at regionals,” Lyman coach Brecia Hansen said. “We really did. Even in that loss to Riverton, we played pretty good.”

Lyman will take on a Rawlins team that was a top seed in the East during regional play. The Lady Outlaws (26-7) suffered a three-set loss to Douglas in the first-place game at regionals. 

Lyman knows getting past Rawlins won’t be easy.

“We have to focus on how to beat a competitive team,” Nelson said. “We’ve had our eyes set on a state championship since the beginning of the season.”