Olathe ? On paper, it seemed improbable. Lawrence High volleyball coach Molly LaMere even admitted it.

“I really think Free State’s the better team physically, and they have better volleyball players,” LaMere said.

Personnel didn’t matter Saturday at the sub-state volleyball tournament at Olathe Northwest High School. Lawrence High defeated Olathe Northwest and Free State to advance to the Class 6A state tournament.

“When it comes down to a game like this, when you have a lot at stake, heart, character and teamwork come out on top,” LaMere said of the finals game against Free State, with her voice nearly lost.

With Lawrence one point away from defeating Free State, LaMere had a quick word with senior Emily Renfro.

“She pulled me over and said, ‘Fro, you’re putting this ball down,’ and I knew I had it from there,” Renfro said. “I knew I had her confidence.”

Renfro fittingly scored the final point. Then, with both hands in the air, Renfro ran to her 11 teammates in a state of jubilation and celebrated.

Lawrence High senior Emily Renfro spikes the ball during the Lions' third game against Free State. The Lions defeated the Firebirds on Saturday and will compete in the state tournament.

The Lions played better volleyball than two teams with nearly opposite records than them during the regular season. The 10-24 Lions defeated the 25-12 Ravens and the 26-10 Firebirds. Lawrence took out Olathe Northwest in two games, 25-10 and 27-25. It defeated Free State in three games, 25-15, 17-25, and 25-16.

All odds were truly stacked against Lawrence High. Free State previously defeated LHS twice. Olathe Northwest had the comfort of its own gym and loud fans cheering on the team.

Olathe Northwest’s fans quickly cleared out of the gym after the Lawrence match.

“Someone must have pulled a fire alarm in here,” an LHS parent joked from the stands.

It was like March Madness in October.

“We would always just shoot ourselves in the foot,” senior Amanda Weishaar said about earlier in the season. “The other team would be making the same mistakes as we would, but we would just keep screwing up and not scoring points because of ourselves. It was self-inflicted wounds.”

Weishaar said LaMere instilled a mindset into the team before the game – the Lions pretty much had nothing to lose.

It showed on the court. The Lions dove after every loose ball and had numerous digs that didn’t seem possible to save. They rarely committed errors in serving and passing. LHS didn’t let itself lose.

“I did not want it to end that way, especially with the rivalry and after last night,” Weishaar said of Free State’s football victory Friday night. “We had to redeem ourselves.”

The Lions display their sub-state trophy after defeating Free State in the finals.

As if the crosstown rivalry wasn’t enough, Weishaar’s second cousin is Free State senior Kristen Karlin.

“It’s like a family reunion every time we play. It was amazing, since that hasn’t happened as much as we’d like this season,” Weishaar said of defeating Free State.

Renfro said she used low expectations as motivation Saturday.

“No one expected us to win any match,” Renfro said. “We were the lowest man on the totem pole. We made some pretty big upsets, and that was our game plan.”

Free State defeated Leavenworth in two games, 25-15 and 25-19.

Firebirds coach Nancy Hopkins could not be reached for comment Saturday night.

LHS will play its first-round game in the state playoffs Friday.