photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Anniston Clark attacks against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

In a battle of two class 6A regional host hopefuls, Free State volleyball (22-7) wound up on the wrong side of a five-set thriller, falling 3-2 to Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday in Lawrence.

The Firebirds took the first and fourth sets, but struggled in the second, third, and fifth sets, unable to rally from large deficits throughout the match.

“It’s the same thing (as) the match against Mill Valley,” head coach Joel Grillot said. “Everything’s still in front of us. One match does not make (or break the season)… Anytime you go five sets, it’s a fun match, and it could go either way.”

It was the second time in three days the teams played each other after Free State had defeated Gardner Edgerton 2-1 on Saturday at the De Soto Spikefest. Grillot said what made the difference in Tuesday’s match was Free State’s inability to get consistent touches on the Trailblazers’ attack.

“Their hitters did a much better job of reading the block, and if the block was established, they just did a good job of tipping and hitting around it,” Grillot said.

The Firebirds showed how dominant they can be in all phases early in the match, serving tough and converting on offense and with their block. Free State led 10-2 after a 6-0 scoring run with freshman Bryna Clark serving, forcing a Gardner Edgerton timeout.

The timeout worked for the Trailblazers, who slowly chipped away at the lead throughout the set. The Firebirds continued to show bright spots with blocks at the net and kills from four different players, but some costly errors cut the lead to two at 22-20, resulting in a timeout.

Bryna Clark pushed the lead to three after a timeout, before her sister, Anniston, placed down a perfect tip shot, and the Firebirds were able to close out the set, 25-21, after an ace by Tessa Nover-Estes.

Gardner Edgerton flipped the script to open the second set, leading 10-5 and forcing a timeout by Free State. The Trailblazers’ lead grew to 14-6 after self-inflicted wounds by the Firebirds, leading to the team’s second timeout.

Free State continued to struggle after the second timeout, as the Gardner Edgerton lead quickly stretched to double digits. Anniston Clark had a pair of kills to give the Firebird offense some life, and an attacking error by Gardner Edgerton cut the deficit to eight, but the Trailblazers scored the last five points to take the set, 25-12.

The Firebirds’ serve-receive struggled throughout the second set, making it difficult for the team to find any rhythm offensively.

“Any time we struggle is when we’re not in system,” Grillot said. “We’ve got to be able to be in system in order to run our attackers, especially on that back side of the rotation. Once Anniston goes back row and Tessa’s front row, we typically have two attackers, and when we’re out of system, and Tessa is all over the place, it’s really hard to get an effective attack, especially on the pins.”

The momentum continued with the Trailblazers to begin the third set, scoring the first three points before a service error got the Firebirds on the scoreboard. The Firebirds tied the set at four after a kill by Anniston Clark and a pair of attack errors, but five of the next six points went to Gardner Edgerton, leading to a timeout from Free State.

This time, the timeout worked in the Firebirds’ favor, as they went on a 4-1 run to cut the deficit to one. Anniston Clark continued to put down kills at important moments, but the Trailblazers had a response every time, forcing a second timeout with a 20-14 advantage.

Free State’s offense got back on track with three consecutive kills, but the lead was too much to come back from. An ace by Mikayla Ingersoll cut the deficit to two at 21-19, but Gardner Edgerton scored the final four points of the set to lead the match, 2-1.

A block by Nover-Estes and Anniston Clark set the tone for the fourth set, as the Firebirds quickly held a 6-1 advantage. The Trailblazers offense got back on track and cut the lead to three, but back-to-back kills by Devyn Copeland forced a timeout with the Firebids still ahead, 13-7.

The Firebirds extended their lead with the first two points out of the stoppage, but a 4-0 run by the Trailblazers resulted in Grillot using his first timeout. A pair of kills after the break by Anniston Clark and a block by Copeland flipped the momentum back to Free State, prompting a second timeout from Gardner Edgerton.

Anniston Clark took over the set late with two blocks and a kill, while Grace Toner added two kills and a block of her own as Free State forced a fifth set, taking the fourth 25-17.

“The biggest thing about Anniston is she’s such a competitor that she wants that feedback because wants to leave no stone unturned to make sure she’s the best version of herself she can possibly be,” Grillot said.

Gardner Edgerton got off to a hot start in the final set with an impressive attack and a few blocks at the net to open a 6-2 lead. After two more points the Trailblazers were up to an 8-2 advantage as the Firebirds had already used both of their timeouts.

Free State got offensive production from Toner with three kills, but Gardner Edgerton’s presence at the net was too much in the end, as the Trailblazers took the deciding set 15-6.

The Firebirds have one match remaining in the regular season, as they host Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday for senior night. The Firebirds are still in good standing to host, sitting as the No. 2 seed in the 6A west regional, but a win will all but solidify the team’s first time hosting a regional since 2022.

“We’ve got another tough opponent coming up on Thursday for senior night, I’m sure there’ll be some emotions, but we still have a chance to finish in the top half of a very competitive Sunflower League,” Grillot said. “We’ve just got to continue to get the wins that we need to get.”

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State sophomore Brinley Whitney claps in celebration after earning a point against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Senior Anniston Clark yells toward her Free State teammates during a game against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State sophomore Grace Toner yells after earning a point against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Anniston Clark cheers with her teammates during the Firebirds’ game against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State freshman Devyn Copeland hits the ball over the net during the Firebirds’ game against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State freshman Bryna Clark comes together with her Free State teammates during their game against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Tessa Nover-Estes claps in celebration during a game against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Sophomore Grace Toner yells in celebration with her Free State teammates during their game against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Freshman Bryna Clark hits the ball over the net during Free State’s matchup against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Freshman Bryna Clark hits the ball over the net during Free State’s matchup against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Freshman Bryna Clark yells after Free State scores a point against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Senior Dayton Devlin hits the ball in Free State’s game against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Sophomore Grace Toner hits the ball over the net during Free State’s game against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

The Free State volleyball team comes together to celebrate after scoring against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State sophomore Grace Toner reaches to hit the ball against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Anniston Clark hits the ball past Gardner Edgerton players on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

The Free State volleyball team celebrates after earning a point against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Senior Tessa Nover-Estes sets the ball during Free State’s game against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Anniston Clark hits the ball over a Gardner Edgerton player on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Free State senior Anniston Clark attacks against Gardner Edgerton on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Lawrence.