SIOUX FALLS – Hitchcock-Tulare had to put in a little extra work for an extra special win Thursday night.

The Patriots moved into the semifinal round of the Class B State Volleyball Tournament for the first time thanks to an 18-25, 25-13, 25-21, 23-25, 15-7 win over Gayville-Volin at the Sanford Premier Center.

“I just feel like it really showed our grit and determination,” said Hitchcock-Tulare sophomore Lila Johnson. “We really wanted this win and we needed it for ourselves. I feel like we’ve practiced this all year. We’ve done 15-point sets in practice, just to really practice this.”

Once the match got to the fifth and final set, the Patriots were definitely prepared. They scored the first three points, built a 10-3 lead and were never in trouble after that.

“In a set five, it goes fast,” said Hitchcock-Tulare coach Jordan Opp. “I always tell the girls, it’s a lot easier managing a game when we can have a lead.”

That was a stark contrast to the start of the match when the Patriots were out of synch in dropping the first set.

“Definitely nerves,” said Hitchcock-Tulare’s Rebecca Huizenga of the team’s second-ever appearance in the state tournament. “I think warming up we were all just kind of taking it all in. But then after the first set I feel like we were all kind of settled and started to play.”

The Patriots hit their stride and won back-to-back sets as they got into a rhythm on both offense and defense. Led by senior Katelyn Schroeder, Hitchcock-Tulare seized the momentum. The senior was an eighth-grader the only other time the Patriots played in a state tourney.

“It was intense. I feel like Katelyn really helps,” Johnson said. “She’s been here before. She knows what to do. We just really lean on her for that leadership.”

Not only that, but the Patriots also picked up their defense as the match continued.

“I thought our block started getting better as the match wore on,” Opp said. “We kept adjusting them all night long. The defense played pretty darn well down the stretch.”

However, the Raiders refused to go away. They rallied from a 23-19 deficit in the fourth set with six straight points to force the fifth. They finished with 105 digs and actually had more kills than the Patriots.

“I don’t know if we’ve had teams dig up Katelyn’s hit like they did tonight,” Opp said. “I was impressed. I knew that coming in that their defense was going to be top notch and they showed it.”

It was only fitting that Hitchcock-Tulare finished off the match on Schroeder’s 27th and final kill of the contest.

While Schroeder led the way for the Patriots, they also received major contributions from other players on their roster.

“That’s something that we really try to focus on is, like if one person is doing great, we have to get everyone else doing great, too,” Huizenga said, “because we have so many offensive and defensive weapons. I feel like our team is just stacked.”

The Patriots, 32-2 on the season, will now face Warner in the semifinals at 6:45 tonight. The Monarchs won the first meeting this year in five sets.

“It’s going to be fun. We’re so excited,” Huizenga said. “We’ve been looking forward to this since we lost to them, so I think we’re ready.”

Serving: Gayville-Volin 6 aces (Britton Scheetz 5, Maia Achen 1); Hitchcock-Tulare 6 aces (Lila Jo Johnson 3, Ella Johnson 2, Katelyn Schroeder 1).

Attacking: Gayville-Volin 55 kills (Achen 22, Paisley Dimmer 11, Kayden Bye 11); Hitchcock-Tulare 52 kills (Schroeder 27,E. Johnson 7, Rebecca Huizenga 6).

Setting: Gayville-Volin 50 assists (Scheetz 44); Hitchcock-Tulare 51 assists (L. Johnson 32, Gracyn Bixler 11, Cambree Hoekman 7).

Digs: Gayville-Volin 105 (Taylor Hoxeng 22, Jolie Westrum 21, Ayla Dimmer 15, Scheetz 15, Achen 15); Hitchcock-Tulare 121 (Hoekman 28, L. Johnson 23, Schroeder 23)

Blocks: Gayville-Volin 2 solo 2 assists (P. Dimmer 1 solo, Bye 1 solo, J. Westrum 1 assisted, Aliza Westrum 1 assisted); Hitchcock 1 solo 14 assists (Cora Hofer 1 solo 5 assists, Isabel Gilbert 7 assists, Schroeder 1 assists, L. Johnson 1 assist).

Records: Gayville-Volin 29-5; Hitchcock-Tulare 32-2.