The game against Upton challenged us, but it was a good experience. We know how to play a tight game and it was good to work through that emotional rollercoaster of back and forth and point-for-point. We will do what we’ve trained to do at state.”

Coach Monica Anderson

Up Next

The Lady Cyclones kick off the 1A state championships with a match against Riverside on Thursday, November 1 at 6 p.m. in the Ford Wyoming Center.

GUERNSEY – The championship match between the Southeast High School Lady Cyclones and the Upton Lady Bobcats came down to the fifth set at the 1A regional tournament in Guernsey on Saturday, November 2.

Southeast and Upton, both undefeated in conference play, battled each other to a 2-2 draw on Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Cyclones won a point-for-point battle in the third set, 26-24, but Upton turned the tables to win the fourth set, 25-19, and the match deadlocked.

The Lady Cyclones stepped onto the court for the fifth set.

“Looking around at everybody’s faces, I knew we were all determined to win,” senior Angie Logsdon said. “We were going to go for every ball and not let anything drop without effort.”

The team dug deep, taking comfort that each player had the other’s back.

“We rely on each other and build off each other,” senior Brooklyn Leithead said. “If anyone is down, we reassure them, tell them that they’re doing okay and that we trust them. Then we go back out there.”

The Lady Cyclones left it all on the court in the fifth set.

“We’re all super competitive,” junior Keana Llewellyn said. “Taking a loss in a set is like our reset that we need to come back and fight harder and win the next set.”

Following an early back-and-forth in the fifth set, Upton pulled ahead at five and widened its lead by three, 9-6. Southeast kept fighting, determined to turn the setback into success.

“A big part of being able to fix ourselves is celebrating each other or picking each other up,” senior Anna Hartman said. “Whether the first ball is a mistake or an error on our side or if it’s something we can celebrate, we take it either way and make it as positive as possible.”

The Lady Cyclones took their second time out with coach Monica Anderson.

“Our coach looked around the circle and said she could see in every single one of our faces that we were going to go out and play our hardest and win this set,” Brooklyn Leithead remarked.

“Coming out of that time out, we knew that we were going to finish that set,” sophomore Brylie Booth added.

Southeast tied the fifth set at nine before taking control of the scoreboard at 10. A five-point run by the Lady Cyclones resulted in game point, 15-9.

“We played with lots of grit, and that’s what it took today,” junior Taylor Tregemba said. “We pulled it out knowing that we all could win and we worked together.”

Southeast’s victory in the fifth set clinched the 3-2 win for the Lady Cyclones against Upton, along with the 1A East regional title.

“It feels great, especially after last year’s loss at regionals against Upton,” Llewellyn added. “It’s great to come back and get revenge against a team that’s really competitive.”

Booth agreed:

“It feels amazing to battle against Upton in games like that,” Booth said. “We worked the whole season to get to this point.”

Southeast’s victory in five sets against Upton boosted the Lady Cyclones’ confidence for the upcoming state championships in Casper beginning on Thursday.

“I feel like the game against Upton was really good for us right before state because it was a really tough game,” Logsdon said. “And we’re going to see more of that at state.”

In the end, it all came down to teamwork.

“We’re pretty much family, so I know these girls have my back when I need them,” junior Hadley Leithead said. “Winning together feels awesome.”

Beating Arvada-Clearmont

The 1A East tournament opened with the Lady Cyclones sweeping Arvada-Clearmont to advance to the semifinals. Southeast won each of the three sets by a significant margin, 25-13, 25-7 and 25-13.

Hadley Leithead led the Lady Cyclones offense with 11 kills. Brooklyn Leithead tallied eight kills, Booth seven, Logsdon six, Hartman five with one apiece from sophomore Bailey Mehling and junior Asha Mathias. 

Logsdon aced five serves while Hadley Leithead and Hartman both served up two aces. Brooklyn Leithead and Booth each contributed one ace.

Llewellyn played setter and delivered 33 assists.

Hartman covered the floor with six digs. Booth totaled five digs while Hadley Leithead, Tregemba and Brooklyn Leithead each collected four.

Logsdon, Hadley Leithead, Llewellyn, Hartman and Booth each defended the net with one block.

Clinching a state berth

Progressing to the semifinals, Southeast swept Niobrara County to secure a berth at the 1A state championships in Casper. The final scores in each set favored the Lady Cyclones, 25-14, 25-18 and 25-16.

In the first set, Logsdon broke a tie at seven with a kill. Tregemba aced a serve and Southeast led, 10-7. Brooklyn Leithead widened the Lady Cyclones’ lead, 13-9, with a block and an ace.

Booth served up an ace and Southeast reached 19. A kill from Hadley Leithead resulted in game point, 25-14.

Logsdon placed Southeast on the scoreboard in the third set with a block. Hartman powered over a kill and the Lady Cyclones pulled ahead, 8-7. A kill by Hadley Leithead ended a deadlock at 10. Hadley Leithead went on to ace a serve and Southeast pulled up, 14-11.

Llewellyn served up an ace and the Lady Cyclones found themselves up, 21-12. Logsdon fired off a kill for game point, 25-18.

A five-set win

The championship game pitted the two undefeated teams in the conference, Southeast and Upton, against each other.

Southeast won the first set, 25-16. Upton rallied to take the second set, 25-22. 

The Lady Cyclones came together to score the decisive points to win the third set, 26-24. The match reached a stalemate when Upton won the fourth set, 25-19.

It all came down to the fifth set. Upton took an early lead, 2-0. Booth slammed over a kill and Upton sent the ball into the net returning a serve by Llewellyn and the set tied at two.

A kill by Brooklyn Leithead resulted in a deadlock at four. Upton took over at five and widened its lead, 9-6.

Hadley Leithead reached up for a block, narrowing Upton’s lead to two, 9-7. Upton sent the ball out of bounds returning a hit by Booth and the set tied again at nine.

Hartman delivered a hit and Upton responded by tangling with the net. A kill by Booth placed Southeast up, 11-9.

A block from Booth widened the Lady Cyclones’ lead, 12-9. Southeast reached 14 with a kill from Booth, assisted by Llewellyn.

Tregemba stepped up to the service line and aced game point, 15-9.

The Lady Cyclones open the state tournament with a game against the No. 4 seed from the west, Riverside, on Thursday November 7 at 6 p.m. in Casper’s Ford Wyoming Center.

The Lady Cyclones hope to make a run on the state title, Hartman said.

“It’s the next step,” Hartman added. “But we have to take it one game at a time, one point at a time, one set at a time.”

Brooklyn Leithead is excited for a final opportunity to play volleyball with her teammates and friends.

“This is my last ride and my last games this season – maybe forever,” Brooklyn Leithead said. “I’m just looking forward to having fun with my girls and going all out.”

The Lady Cyclones are ready for the challenge, coach Anderson said.

“The game against Upton challenged us, but it was a good experience,” Anderson added. “We know how to play a tight game and it was good to work through that emotional rollercoaster of back and forth and point-for-point. We will do what we’ve trained to do at state.”