HAMLIN – Falling short in their quest to make the state tournament last year has helped to fuel the Hamlin Chargers this season.

Hamlin lost just one match on its way to qualifying for the State A tournament, where the Chargers are the second-seeded team.

“Obviously, we’re ecstatic. That’s the goal at the beginning of any season, to make it to a state tournament. When we fell short last year in the region, it was, obviously, not awesome,” said Hamlin coach Ashley Heinrich. “We certainly came back this year and refocused and regrouped and obviously made it happen this year.”

Hamlin’s lone setback came to third-seeded Dell Rapids. A key for the Chargers, 24-1, has been chemistry and teamwork.

“I think we have a lot of strong senior leadership, but we also have a good mix of underclassmen. The team chemistry is kind of hard to explain, but I mean everybody is kind of committed to their role,” Heinrich said. “Whether or not it’s the role they thought they’d be playing at the beginning of the year, they’ve all just kind of committed to knowing that’s the role this team needs. … It’s just a drama-free, focused type of a season where the chemistry is just there with all of the girls, and has obviously led to a pretty awesome season, and hopefully we end it pretty well as well.”

Not only is chemistry a strong suit for the Chargers, having experienced players who have been on the big stage before should be beneficial during the biggest matches of the year.

“Most of the girls that are playing on my team right now and starting, they have experience with state tournaments in basketball and in volleyball, so I think (that) just leads to a calmness. … You can just see, there’s this look in their eyes where they just know how to turn it on,” said Heinrich. “I don’t have to get them pumped up for games, I don’t gotta give them these big speeches, because they’ve all just been there before, and they just know how to handle themselves.”

The Chargers are led by Addison Neuendorf, who leads the squad in hitting and is a leader in the backrow as well.

“She’s an amazing athlete in everything that she does. I mean, she’s been starting for me since she was an eighth-grader, and it’s crazy to think she’s my most veteran, only as a junior, but her skill speaks for itself,” Heinrich said. “She’s dominant at the net, she’s quick in the back row. She’s a full 6-rotation player, and she’s just everywhere.”

Not only does Neuendorf lead in statistical categories, she also sets the tone for the rest of the squad.

“She kind of leads the pack for us, but she does such a good job of bringing everyone else around her along for the ride,” Heinrich said. “Like giving the expectations for everybody, and everybody sort of rises to that. So, she’s done a fabulous job for us.”

Additional help comes from all-conference selections Addie Steffensen and Jo Steffensen.

The Chargers will look to rely on their serve and pass throughout the tournament.

“We focus a ton on serving, not necessarily serving to always ace people, but serving to keep them out of system, which then in turn gets us more down balls, free balls, stuff that we can put into system, and run a faster offense,” Heinrich said. “I think from a skill perspective, the biggest thing we focus on is serving better, and passing better. And the rest of it just falls into place for us.”

Hamlin will face a familiar opponent in the first round of the state tournament. The Chargers will take on Sioux Valley at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls. Hamlin defeated the Cossacks in five sets in early October. In that match, Hamlin recorded 13 aces, 56 kills, and 5 blocks. The Chargers have grown as a team since then, but so has Sioux Valley.

“I would say that we’re definitely a better team, not that we played bad at that time, but there’s just certain things about our game that we’re just executing better now, and I’m sure Sioux Valley would feel the same about themselves,” Heinrich said. “So, I think people are going to watch pretty good volleyball when we play.”

Heinrich said that facing a well-known foe will only add to the atmosphere on Thursday evening.

“It’s the state tournament, so there’s something on the line, but there’s always a little bit extra when you’re playing your conference opponent, and obviously, they’re a super big rival for us,” Heinrich said. “So, there will be a lot of emotions, and a lot of energy, and hopefully good volleyball.”