After the Free State High volleyball team lost to Topeka Seaman last weekend, Jessica Scott finally had enough.

This wasn’t acceptable for the Firebirds. Expectations were higher than that. So the senior outside hitter, along with seniors Kelsey Harrison and Kristen Karlin, pulled aside underclassmen and motivated them to be better.

It worked. The Firebirds met the Vikings again – this time in the finals of the Seaman Invitational. Free State defeated Seaman, 25-9, 25-19, to claim the championship.

“I think that we just decided right there that we were going to be better than any team that Free State’s had,” Scott said. “We had kind of a team bonding after our embarrassing loss to Seaman.”

Talk about intensity. Scott, Harrison and Karlin have played on the FSHS varsity squad for three years. Their senior leadership is the main reason the Firebirds jumped out to an impressive 14-5 record.

Aside from the seniors pumping up the Firebirds last weekend, FSHS received extra motivation before the title match from an opposing Seaman player.

“One of our players heard one of their kids talk about meeting us again, saying, ‘What’s the point?’ Because they felt like they beat us earlier and they didn’t really need to play us again because we weren’t very good,” Free State coach Nancy Hopkins said. “But we actually are pretty good.”

Free State High's volleyball seniors, from left, Kelsey Harrison, Ally Oliver, Kristen Karlin and Jessica Scott, have been crucial to the success of the Firebirds this season.

Hopkins said she didn’t think twice about passing along the message to her team before the title match. Scott said the second time Free State met Seaman, she noticed an increased level of communication and confidence.

Karlin, an all-tournament selection from the Topeka Seaman Invitational, was blunt when asked what the seniors’ roles were on the court.

“We’re expected to lead the team and sometimes get in the underclassmen’s faces,” she said. “Sometimes, they don’t do what the coaches ask of them, so we’re like the second coaches on the team. If they’re screwing around, we’re there in their face usually.”

Free State will need this type of intensity looking forward. Despite their strong record, the Firebirds have struggled with high-caliber teams. This season, Free State lost to last year’s Class 6A state champion, Olathe South, and to last year’s 5A champion, Blue Valley West.

Karlin, a right-side hitter/setter, was quick to point out what it would take for Free State to overcome these challenges.

“I think everyone just needs to be excited to play, and we were lacking that for sure that day,” Karlin said about facing Olathe South. “We weren’t tired as a team, but we were playing like we were. We weren’t playing to win; we were playing not to lose, so we were back on our heels and really hesitant.”

Harrison, an outside hitter, said she had no doubt Free State could play with the best teams in Kansas. The Firebirds just haven’t shown up against them this season.

“That quad, we didn’t really play very well,” Harrison said about the Olathe South quad. “Our passing went downhill and wasn’t very good. If we played like we did during the (Topeka Seaman) tournament, then I think we can beat those teams.”

Despite the obvious intensity of Free State, the team likes to have fun as well. That’s when senior Ally Oliver, who is in her first season playing at the varsity level, enters the picture.

“Ally is probably the funniest person on our team,” Harrison said. “She always finds some way to entertain us. She’s the goofball on the team who makes everyone happy.”

The seniors said they expected this year’s team to go further in the state tournament than previous years. Two years ago, Free State reached the Class 6A Playoffs, but didn’t advance past the first day. Last year, the Firebirds lost in sub-state and didn’t make it to the state playoffs. This season, the goal is simple.

“Winning state, obviously,” Scott said. “We definitely have a realistic chance to do very well at state. It’s expected that we have the talent and the ability to get there.”