Free State High's Rachel Hickman (28) and Naomi Hickman (29) team up for a block during their match against Shawnee Mission East on Sept. 8 at FSHS.

Before the Free State High volleyball team embarked on its 2016 campaign, the Firebirds brainstormed a few words on how they wanted define their season.

The words that the Firebirds decided on were “competitive” and “legacy,” and they are printed on the back of their team T-shirts. The Firebirds will be able to don those shirts while warming up for the Class 6A state tournament Friday at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka, the first state appearance in 12 years.

“This season has been super special. We love each other,” FSHS senior Naomi Hickman said. “Our teammates, we all get along really well and just work together well and we have really great players this year, too. It’s been awesome.”

Free State High senior Naomi Hickman (29) hits the ball away from Bishop Miege blockers Brianna Moylan (8) and Maggie Smardo (11) during their match Thursday evening at FSHS.

The two words that have driven the Firebirds throughout the season mean a little bit more to Hickman, who will wrap up her prep career before going on to play at Creighton. While one of Hickman’s goals this season was to make it to the state tournament, she also wanted to make sure that the Firebirds would be competitive for years to come.

“Naomi and I had talked a lot last year about if you’re going to be the best player on the floor, people are just naturally going to look to you. They will want your OK,” FSHS coach Amy Hoffsommer said. “They will want your stamp of approval to make sure they feel a part of what’s going on. That’s just a natural flow of being the person that’s the kill-getter.”

Kill-getting is something that Hickman has done her fair share of for the Firebirds over the past four seasons. The 6-foot-4 FSHS middle blocker broke Kelsey Harrison’s school record of 633 kills against Bishop Miege in the Firebirds’ final home triangular Oct. 13.

“It’s super cool,” said Hickman, who has 711 career kills. “I actually didn’t know about it until I read that in the paper, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is cool!'”

It’s hard to say if Hickman’s record will last 10 years like Harrison’s did, and that’s OK with the Free State senior. Naomi’s younger sister Rachel, a sophomore, has racked up 357 career kills of her own.

“I love playing with Rachel,” Naomi said of Rachel, who committed to Kansas in September. “I think we understand each other well on the court, and we get what each other are thinking. We bring out the best in each other.”

Free State High sophomore Rachel Hickman (28) overpowers Lawrence High blockers Katelyn Mask (7) and Abby Percich (15) at the net during their match Tuesday at LHS.

In the early going of the season, Hoffsommer leaned toward having the Hickman sisters separated from each other in the Firebirds’ front-row rotation, but Rachel insisted that she play side-by-side with Naomi.

Hoffsommer’s fears have subsided as the Hickman sisters have played unselfishly while leading the Firebirds to a record of 33-6 and the No. 4 seed in the state tournament.

“They block together,” Hoffsommer said. “Anybody is going to have trouble hitting against that block. It’s pretty to watch those two play together.”

Rachel and Naomi have cherished their time on the court for the Firebirds, and the younger sister has learned a thing or two from the elder. The Hickman sisters never played on the same team prior to last season, but they had gone up against each other in club volleyball.

“I know they love each other dearly. I know that Rachel looks up to her sister in a big, huge way, and gets a lot of feedback from her on the court,” Hoffsommer said. “You can see that when they’re playing. She turns and asks her sister a lot of questions.

“It’s kind of nice. I know Rachel will handle it all just fine when her sister is gone,” Hoffsommer said. “It just makes it extra special. That’s family out on the court with you.”

Although Naomi’s high school career is coming to an end this weekend, Hoffsommer noted that the senior’s competitiveness has left a legacy that Rachel and the Free State underclassmen can continue.

“The idea of, ‘I am now establishing what this program is and what it means to me, and then you can take that and build on it,'” Hoffsommer said. “From sister to sister, that’s a perfect legacy.”

Free State’s career leader in kills

Naomi Hickman

Senior year (through Oct. 26): 265 kills

Junior year: 232

Sophomore year: 163

Freshman year: 51

Total: 711. Previous record: 633, set by Kelsey Harrison (2004-06).