SAPULPA — The Bethany volleyball program didn’t just have the goal of winning a state title heading into the season.
Sure, the Bronchos would have been more than satisfied if they claimed their first championship in the sport.
But there was a particular opponent they wanted to face in the final match of the year, and that team was Community Christian .
The Royals beat Bethany in the state championship last year and in their two regular season matchups this fall.
However, Bethany got the win that mattered most.
Led by a great performance from Jaidyn Reid, the Class 4A second-ranked Bronchos beat No. 1 Community Christian 3-1 inside Sapulpa’s gymnasium Saturday, claiming their first state crown in program history.
Reid got her 1,000th career kill during the match and helped the Bronchos get in the driver’s seat and roll after losing to Community Christian 3-0 in their two matches against each other prior to Saturday.
“An amazing feeling,” said Reid, a senior. “And I’m so proud of all these girls. They worked so hard, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Reid stood out throughout the match, but several others made valuable contributions, from Skylar Brady to Gracee Geissler, Callie Gulikers and Maya McPhaul.
The Bronchos were focused, and everything seemed to click.
“Everyone of them played awesome, so it was a full team effort,” Bethany coach Kerri Cagle said.
Bethany (34-4) started strong as it edged Community Christian 28-26 in the first set before winning the second 25-17.
Community Christian (36-5) roared back in the third as it won 25-21, but Bethany responded and finished strong as it went back and forth in the final set, a 25-23 triumph.
“It sucks that it’s over, but to be able to leave knowing that we finally got a state championship under our volleyball belt, it’s so surreal,” Reid said.
Cagle felt the same way as she stood on the court, surrounded by a big group of Bethany fans.
“I’m almost speechless to be honest with you because I’m just so stinking proud of their effort and their play and their resilience and just not giving up,” she said.
Christian Heritage tops Metro Christian for second straight Class 3A title
Hannah Joy Nuthman and the Christian Heritage volleyball team didn’t let the pressure get to them.
The defending state champions in Class 3A, expectations have been high for the Crusaders this year.
Despite that, they were relaxed heading into their title match against Metro Christian.
“We’ve been No. 1 all season, so we kind of have a target on our back, but we knew we could play with this team,” Nuthman said. “We knew if we played the way that we usually do and know how to play we could get a state championship again.”
It all worked out for the Crusaders, as for the second straight year, their season ended with a dogpile.
Class 3A top-ranked Christian Heritage beat No. 3 Metro Christian 3-0 on Saturday in Sapulpa’s gymnasium, claiming its second straight championship and sixth since 2014.
Nuthman, a senior, had a great match against Metro Christian (31-7) , as did junior Ashlynne Hale and senior Avery Whitmill, who surpassed 1,000 assists on the season in Christian Heritage’s 3-1 semifinal win over fourth-ranked Heritage Hall on Friday.
More: Oklahoma high school volleyball: Takeaways from Class 4A-3A state tournament semifinals
“We showed a lot of grit,” Christian Heritage coach Heather Benedix said. “We fought. We were down I think in each set and we pulled it out, we came back. We kept just telling them to stick to our game, stick to how we play, stick to what we know we do well and to trust each other and to go out there and just play.”
Nuthman was among those who showed grit.
She’s battled a torn meniscus she suffered during the tennis season last spring and plans to get it worked on in about a week, but she grinded through it.
And for her, it was all worth it.
“It’s a really cool experience,” Nuthman said. “We had most of our team back, so we had team chemistry. We knew how to play together, and it was just another good, fun season.”
Nuthman is just one player in a special senior class.
The Crusaders (35-8) have solidified themselves as a powerhouse the past couple years and raised the bar.
“Our seniors, they’ve been four-year varsity starters, so they’ve been a huge part of our program and creating the culture and maintaining it and just growing it,” Benedix said. “And so they’ve had a huge role in our success the last four years. We’ve just built upon that. They’ve done a really good job. We’re really gonna miss them.”
Nick Sardis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nicksardis . Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Nick's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com .
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma HS volleyball: Bethany wins first title, Christian Heritage repeats
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