As Cross County, Humphrey St. Francis and Leigh prepare for the Class D-1 state volleyball tournament, which begins on Friday, they have employed new methods to help get used to the environment of the spacious Pershing Center, where all will play in Lincoln.

Not only will the teams have to adapt to the high ceilings and empty space behind the end lines, but they will have to contend with noise from Class A matches going on next to them.

“The courts are in a T-format so it's totally different from anything else," said St. Francis coach Dean Korus. “The depth on our court might not be as big of an issue (as on the Class A court), but it can give you dizzy fits."

Leigh will start the first round at 9:30 a.m. against Amherst, St. Francis plays Meridian at 1 p.m. and Cross County will face Cambridge at 2:30 p.m. The Leigh-Amherst winner will take on either Freeman or Wauneta-Palaside at 6 p.m. The other semifinal is set for 7:30 p.m.

Leigh coach Jill Krienke isn't worried about the early start time or the crowded environment. She looks at its as coming full circle after the Panthers (22-2) started the summer making early morning trips to camps at Nebraska-Omaha and Hastings.

“For us, it feels like team camp," she said. “We're doing the same routine of getting up early and traveling and then playing side-by-side matches."

The Panthers will get an early wake-up call on Friday when they leave the school at 5 a.m., but Krienke said having the players get a few more hours of sleep in their own beds is worth it. The Panthers will be making their first trip to state since 1987, when they lost to Alma in the semifinals. Krienke has helped clue the team on what will happen at state with her experience as an assistant at Laurel-Concord and her three trips as a player at Elkhorn.

“We've always gone down and watch the tournament as a team," she said. “But we're amped to go down to Lincoln and actually get to play. We're excited for the opportunity."

Cross County is in a similar spot as not only is this the first time qualifying in volleyball for the players, but it is also the Cougars' first state tournament in any sport. Cougars coach Jo Burnham said she has seen remarkable support from the community with painted windows and a police escort planned for the caravan to Lincoln.

The Cougars (20-4) punched their ticket to state after knocking off top-ranked St. Francis in the district finals. Burnham said if they can mimic that performance at state they'll have a chance to earn some hardware.

In her second season at Cross County, which was formed in 2002 when Stromsburg and Benedict merged, Burnham said she's seen the players make tremendous strides during her tenure. After soaking in a lot of volleyball knowledge last season, the Cougars have put those lesson into practice as they improved on a 12-8 record from last year.

“Last year I saw moments of greatness," Burnham said. “But this year they were determined not to lose. Obviously, they are athletic and they began putting it all together."

There have been some hiccups along the way as Cross County let a match against Exeter-Milligan slip away and lost to McCool Junction in a triangular with Hampton. Burnham said the McCool Junction loss made the Cougars focus on the match at hand, which she said will help at the state tournament, where a rematch with the Flyers is possible in the semifinals.

The only area team with state experience is St. Francis, the defending champion. The Flyers (22-2) are hoping their familiarity with the state hoopla with help them play relaxed - something they didn't do against the Cougars.

Korus said he hasn't watched tape from the Cross County match, but the team talked about the loss the following day. However, he wasn't willing to tip his hand on what they learned or adjustments St. Francis will make.

“The girls took it kind of hard," said Korus, whose team qualified for state as the D-1 wild card points leader. “I know the seniors were a little tense during the match even though they had another match (at state) win or lose."

The one thing Korus doesn't have to worry about is how the Flyers will respond following a loss in district finals. St. Francis also fell to Red Cloud in basketball, but still earned a wild card and went on to the state championship.

St. Francis presents a balanced attack that can fluster and dominate opponents. Senior outside hitter Kelli Wemhoff leads the team with 227 kills, but three other players have recorded more than 100 kills, and the Flyers' remaining two starters aren't far behind with 93 and 75 kills apiece.

While the state tournament can present a vast amount of uncertainty, one thing is for sure in Class D-1 - the state championship is up for grabs. None of the three area coaches were willing to name a favorite or eliminate anyone from title contention. Call it the Cross County effect. The Cougars proved that anything is possible if a team is on a roll.

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