Western Boone Jr. - Sr. High School

At the first practice of the season this fall, Laura Bragg had her team look up at the wall in their gymnasium. She wanted them to see the banner that celebrated the Stars state runner-up finish in 2021, and how it was just beneath four large banners that represented Western Boone's four state football titles. "We don't want another small one," she told her team that day, "we want a big one." And after a dominate 3-0 (25-14, 25-13, 25-18) sweep over Brownstown Central on Saturday afternoon at Ball State's Worthen Arena, the Stars will be getting that big banner in the very near future to celebrate the school's first state volleyball title. "This is amazing," Bragg said after the match. "I know this is our first state championship, but we have been close so many years. It's just amazing that we get to finish this season with a win and not a lot of teams get to do that." It was a fitting end to a remarkable run for the Stars. WeBo finished the regular season 20-5 and were ranked fifth in the final poll. On the road to the state championship match, the Stars had to beat second-ranked Benton Central in the sectional, eighth-ranked and defending Class 2A champion Muncie Burris in the regional and then third-ranked at defending 1A champion Southwood in the semi-state. All that just to get a match-up with the top-ranked Braves, who were returning every starter from a state runner-up finish last year. But the Stars were battled tested and ready to go. "That makes you such a more mentally tough team," senior Raegan Durbin said of the Stars' path to the final. "Stepping up in those big moments like we have the past weeks just made this seem easier probably than it did for them." The result of that prep work is what Bragg called the "perfect match." Western Boone didn't miss a serve all match, keeping Brownstown Central out of their offense and when they did, the Stars defense played arguably their best match of the season. "We knew that we had to out-block them and out-serve them," Bragg said. "We didn't miss a serve all match. That was the best blocking we have had all season. We have focused on blocking every day, and to do that in the state championship match - it just shows how determined they were." The Stars set the tone for the rest of the match in the first set. Durbin and Sadie Poeck each had two early kills as the Stars jumped out to a 7-2 lead and they never led by less than four the rest of the way. freestar "We had a good feeling from the start," senior Janie Ransom said. "And we knew that if we started well from the beginning we could push through. They were here last year, but we knew what to expect and got the hang of it quick." The second set was much the same. Tied at 6 early, Western Boone went on a 10-0 run, getting three kills from Poeck and one from Isabell Grady in the run that effectively ended the set. "We were expecting a long, tough game," senior Olivia Smith said. "We had conditioning all week and were ready. After the first set, we knew we had it in the bag, we just had to stay together and just take it point by point." From there, it was all about trying to finish it out in three. Like all good teams do, Brownstown Central didn't go down without a fight, tying the third at at 11. But on the serve of Olivia Cox, the Stars went up 16-11, and held off the Braves from there, clinching the title on a kill from Poeck. "All the work we put in has all paid off and I am so proud of this team, we did amazing today," Poeck said. "I'm just so proud of our group." Poeck finished with 10 kills and six digs in the match. Ransom had 36 assists and finished her career with a school record 3,778. Durbin set the Class 2A record for kills in a three-set match with 24. She finishes her illustrious WeBo career with 1,881 kills. "She's the best volleyball player in Western Boone history, by far," Bragg said. "It was probably one of the most convincing state championship performances. She took control of that. She showed everyone watching on TV and everyone here how incredible she is." More than anyone else, Durbin was the driving force behind this Western Boone team. Her competitive nature helped raise the level of every one around her, and made the Stars champions. "This means everything," Durbin said. "When I came in freshman year, my goal was to leave a legacy, not just in volleyball but for the school and bring Western Boone to the top. This is unlike anything I've ever really experienced. This community is insane. We have the best coaches, we all support each other so much, the girls on the team love each other and it's just a blessing to play for this team and this community." Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.