Last year, the Baldwin High volleyball team kicked down the usually locked door, going 31-10 and appearing in its first state tournament in three decades.

This year, the Bulldogs came charging through the entryway they had busted open in 2002.

Baldwin easily was the best team in an area filled with sensational volleyball talent this year. The Bulldogs finished 41-3, at one point won 29 matches in a row and advanced to the state-championship match earlier this month, where they fell, 2-0, to Goodland.

As much as Baldwin coach Jill Brown would prefer to give credit to her players, there’s no reason to believe she shouldn’t be the Journal-World All-Area coach of the year for the second straight season. Not after winning 93 percent of her matches in 2003.

“I knew we’d have a good year, looking at who we had coming back,” Brown said. “But I didn’t think it’d be that good.”

Brown joins two of her players — Emily Brown and Rachel Miles — on this year’s J-W All-Area team.

A 41-3 mark is even more impressive considering the talent they were up against this season. Baldwin’s two regular-season losses were to Eudora and Tonganoxie, teams that turned in fine seasons of their own. The Cardinals, led by super senior Lauren Kracl, went 28-5. Tonganoxie, with All-Area selections Katie Jeannin and Addie Heim, went 28-8.

And then there’s Mill Valley, which finished with a 29-6 record and state-tournament appearance behind the play of All-Area selection Kendra Corley.

Point is, several volleyball teams in the area enjoyed their finest season in years. Still, nobody came close to the success of the Baldwin Bulldogs.

2003 All Area Volleyball team members, back row from left, Lauren Kracl, Eudora; Emily Brown, Baldwin; Rachel Miles, Baldwin; middle row from left, Jill Brown, Baldwin head coach; Kendra Corley, Mill Valley; Addie Heim, Tonganoxie; front row from left, Sadye Mayes, Ottawa; and Katie Jeannin, Tonganoxie.

“Sometimes you have to team-bonding activities, but you don’t with this group,” said Brown, who has a 72-13 record the last two seasons. “They work really well together. They’re a great group of friends.”

Emily Brown, Baldwin

A four-time all-area selection, Brown is a rare talent who combines physical gifts and versatility with outstanding court awareness. As a senior, Brown recorded 421 kills, 411 assists, 104 blocks and 67 service aces. She was on the All-Frontier League team for the fourth straight season and was named to the all-state-tournament team for the second straight year. Her skills have landed her a scholarship with Kansas University, which she chose over Nebraska and Missouri.

“She and Rachel (Miles) both started as freshman,” Jill Brown said. “And each year they both have taken on more of a leadership role.”

Kendra Corley, Mill Valley

A junior, Corley emerged as the top player on one of the state’s top teams. Her all-around play, highlighted by her ability to smash a nice set, won the respect of every coach in the Kaw Valley League — she was one of two unanimous All-KVL picks. Behind Corley’s 189 kills and 225 digs, the Jaguars finished 29-6 and qualified for the Class 5A state tournament.

“Kendra’s not a real flashy sort of player,” Mill Valley coach Michelle Mages said. “She did put down some balls that made you go ‘Whoa.’ But she just stood out because she’s good at everything.”

Addie Heim, Tonganoxie

Nominated by nearly every coach in the area, Heim gave THS a much-needed intimidating presence on the front line as well as a defensive spark to help halt the opposing attack. Heim, a junior, recorded 221 kills as an outside hitter for the Chieftains, who finished the season 28-8.

“She was our go-to player,” Chieftains coach Tiffany Parker said. “She did a great job for us defensively and hitting. She made very few errors all year. Even if we didn’t have the ball at the perfect spot, she was able to do something with it.”

Katie Jeannin, Tonganoxie

Having Heim as an option certainly didn’t hurt her play, but considering Jeannin’s abilities as a setter, the senior likely would have sparkled with any supporting cast. Jeannin quickly became one of the area’s top talents through tremendous leadership and the knack for setting up her hitters perfectly. She had 620 assists and 40 service aces this year, good enough to lead the Chieftains to a 28-8 record and good enough to give her All-KVL and all-area honors.

“For the height that we had, she was really the reason that we won,” Parker said. “She put our hitters in a great position to win.”

Lauren Kracl, Eudora

A four-time all-area selection, the 6-foot Kracl was as good as ever in her last high school season. In leading the Cardinals to a 28-5 record, Kracl smashed 407 kills and added 105 blocks, 185 digs and 47 service aces. Her all-around abilities on the court caught the eyes of several college coaches, and she ended up signing to play next year at Missouri Western.

“She set the standard for everybody to play to their highest level,” Eudora coach Jill Stutler said. “She challenged everybody to play to the best of their abilities.”

Sadye Mages, Ottawa

One of the top back-row players in the area, Mages has made the most of her abilities on the volleyball court, despite standing all of 5-foot-5. As a junior, Mages recorded 232 kills as an outside hitter — amazing considering her height — and also gathered 189 defensive digs, getting the attention of several area coaches who nominated her.

“Sadye is an exceptional back-row player and an outstanding left-side hitter,” Ottawa coach Jodi Grover said. “She’s determined, a team player, and she works in the weightroom all year and summer to improve on her 21-inch vertical.”

Rachel Miles, Baldwin

No way BHS would have had the success it did without Miles on the front line. A repeat all-area selection, Miles led the Bulldogs with 133 blocks, to go along with 160 kills, 90 digs and 48 service aces. She was a main cog in Baldwin’s runner-up finish at the 4A state tournament, landing her a spot on the all-state-tournament team.

“Rachel has been our leading blocker the past couple of years,” Brown said. “That combination of her and Emily — they really worked well together.”