TULARE – After the winningest season in program history, Hitchcock-Tulare fittingly punched its ticket to the State B Volleyball Tournament.

The Patriots, 31-2 on the season, fell just short last year against Faulkton in the SoDak 16. The girls were motivated ever since and qualified for the state tourney for the second time in school history.

“These girls have worked hard all off season, and during the season. … I remember the interview … when we lost to Faulkton in the SoDak 16. I referred to this team that was going to be coming up this fall that they’re going to have a chip on their shoulder,” said Hitchcock-Tulare coach Jordan Opp. “They’re going to be out to prove people wrong and that’s what they did. They were locked in and focused from the first start of practice all the way up until today.”

The Patriots have been among the elite Class B squads the entire season, earning quality wins against teams such as Class A state qualifiers Winner and Mount Vernon-Plankinton. Hitchcock-Tulare’s only setbacks occurred within three days of each other, falling to Warner, the second seeded team in the Class B tourney and a potential opponent in the second round, and Miller the top-seeded team in the Class A tournament.

“We told our girls that you could play with anyone in the state. When you look back, we played Mount Vernon-Plankinton and Winner. We beat both those teams and they’re in the A tournament. Obviously, we fell to Miller, but we played them tough,” Opp said. “Obviously, we got the Warner matchup that’s in the back of our mind. I think we’re one of the only teams that took them to five sets all year. And they’re a great team.”

Opp is hoping that the demanding schedule will pay dividends heading into the team’s biggest matches of the season.

“It shows that we could play with those teams, you know,” Opp said, “and beat those teams.”

The Patriots feature a roster that includes battle-tested players, led by Northern State recruit Katelyn Schroeder, the team’s leading hitter who was also on the school’s other state tourney squad. Isabel Gilbert and Ella Johnson are other key seniors.

“I think we’re a lot more poised this year when we get into trouble or kind of down. We don’t get frustrated, or frantic,” Opp said. “When you look at those three seniors to kind of be leaders on the court and that’s what they’ve done this year all year long, and I don’t think we’re going to see anything different in the state tournament.”

That senior trio has plenty of help. The Patriots feature a number of underclassmen who have played major roles for the squad.

“You look at some of our juniors, like Cambree Hoekman, as a Libero has been playing the back row since she’s been a freshman. And then Lila Johnson, our setter, has been playing since she’s been an eighth-grader. And Gracyn Bixler has been playing a couple years varsity sports,” Opp said.

Hitchcock-Tulare enters the tourney as the third seed and will face sixth-seeded Gayville-Volin in the opening round at 6:45 p.m. Thursday at the Sanford Premier Center.

Gayville-Volin, which was in last year’s state tourney, is 29-4 and owns wins over Northwestern, and recently Burke, both of which were rated in the top five all season.

“We’re going to have to block well. They have about three different hitters that can do a variety of different things,” Opp said. “They play a scrappy defense, so we’re really going to have to do different shots, whether it’s a tip or a hard hit. We’re going to have to be creative a little bit. We’re going to have to serve well.”

Hitchcock-Tulare has spent time coming up with a game plan try to slow down the Raiders are the net.

“We gotta get the block up on their hitters,” Opp said. “That’s kind of what we’ve been concentrating on at practice the last couple days is getting the block up on the hitters, and trying to slow them down a little bit. Just play our type of ball game.”