Free State High coach Amy Hoffsommer makes a point to the Firebirds in their opening match on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015, at FSHS.

Free State High volleyball players weren’t happy with how they played against Lansing in their season opener on Thursday. Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long to take out any frustration on another team.

The Firebirds split their home triangular with a loss to Lansing (25-10, 25-23) and a victory over Topeka Seaman (25-15, 25-18) at FSHS.

In the first match against Lansing (2-0, ranked No. 6 in Class 5A), Free State struggled to find much rhythm on offense, firing shots out of bounds. In the second set, the Firebirds led, 22-19, but lost five straight points and their chance at forcing a third set.

When the Firebirds took the floor against Seaman, the difference was drastic. They were polished offensively, tossing strong passes to senior Allie Knapp and juniors Naomi Hickman, Emma Barberena, Larissa Gaumer and Payton Gannaway for kills all over the court.

“A switch clicked, and I think that we all just kind of realized that we shouldn’t be waiting any longer to play,” said Knapp, who had four kills and a team-high eight digs against Seaman. “We were playing so nervous and so tense. We were all playing so individually that first game. I think we just decided we gotta play as a team to win, so that’s what we did.”

Near the beginning of the second set against Seaman, the Firebirds went on a roll, winning 12 of 14 points. They forced the Vikings (0-2, ranked No. 7 in 5A) into several attacking errors with their tall and athletic blockers: Hickman, Gaumer, junior Natalie Clarke and senior Rebekah Andersson.

Meanwhile, junior setter Jenalee Dickson and senior setter Lauren Johnson found the 6-foot-5 Hickman, who smashed a couple of kills at the middle of the net. Hickman led the Firebirds with six kills against Seaman, while Barberena added five.

“As soon as we established our middle, that changes the game,” said FSHS coach Amy Hoffsommer, who earned her first win with the Firebirds. “That’s typically what offense wants to do is establish their middle first and then work out from there. You have a lot more one-on-one blocking that way. That’s what wins.”

In between matches, the Firebirds talked about becoming more aggressive on offense and trying to have more fun on the court.

“We play so much better when we’re relaxed,” Knapp said. “That’s what we’ve been talking about every day at practice … just playing as a team, staying relaxed, and it’s really helped us. We just kind of sat down together and just realized, ‘Let’s just do this.'”

Facing two highly ranked opponents, the Firebirds wanted to see how they stood against top competition. After their first win of the year against Seaman, they know they have plenty of things to work on but were happy with their start.

“I’m excited for the season,” Barberena said. “I hope most of our games are like that.”

Free State will play in the Shawnee Mission North quad at 5 p.m. Thursday.