Burke's volleyball program enters new season with championship ambitions – Mitchell Republic

BURKE, SD – With six state tournament appearances in the last seven seasons, Burke’s volleyball program has established itself as a regular Class B contender.

This season, however, is not just about getting back into the final eight. After a third-place finish at the state championships last year and a roster full of seniors, the Cougars have clear ambitions to win the championship.

“We definitely want to get back to the state championship, but we want to do even better,” said senior outside/middle forward Kailee Frank. “We definitely want to get to the championship game and we're all focused on getting there. That's our main goal.”

Frank, a 2023 first-team All-State selection, leads a Burke squad brimming with leadership and experience. Of the 14 players on the roster, 13 are seniors – six seniors and seven juniors – giving this year's Burke squad a veteran presence unlike anything head coach Billie Jo Indahl has ever seen.

“I would say our biggest strength is how long we've been playing together. We all know each other inside and out, and that helps us build a connection on the court,” Frank said. “A lot of it is just having fun together on the court, trusting each other's abilities and working as a team.”

Headlining last year's state championship team, the Cougars returned their top three attackers — seniors Frank and Paige Bull and junior Emmie Hausmann — who combined for 1,036 kills last season. Another key player still in the mix is ​​veteran setter Ava Sargent, who led the team in assists (519) and tied for the team in service aces (73) last season.

This season, senior players Addi Hood and Bridget Eliason, junior player Kyrie Matucha and Emmy Spencer, the team's only sophomore, have taken on several key roles.

Burke, ranked No. 4 in the South Dakota Prep Media poll, is 2-1 to start the new season after suffering an early setback in a road victory at Winner. But as the 2024 season approaches, Indahl believes this group of Cougars is well-equipped to continue the program's ascent, citing the strong group of returning attackers and a roster willing to adapt to new roles and adjustments on the fly.

Over the past 15 years, the number of programs that have played for a Class B state volleyball championship has formed an exclusive club of six. Since 2009, that has been Arlington, Chester, Colman-Egan, Faulkton Area, Northwestern and Warner. Burke's trajectory has improved from an eighth-place finish at the state championships in 2021 to fourth in 2022 and then to third last year. The Cougars believe they can join the list.

“We have high expectations as a team, but sometimes the girls are harder on themselves than (the coaches) are on them,” Indahl said. “It's a business-like approach and they take it very seriously because they have goals and they want to achieve them.”

Especially for the Cougars' large graduating class, the next big goal is to help the Cougars make it to the Class B title game.

“They're extra motivated. Of course they want to make it to the state tournament like every other graduating class has done before them, but they really want to take the next step up,” Indahl said.

“This year we have a lot more confidence and experience playing big games in the state tournament,” Frank added. “We want to be the top team this year and push for the championship because we've never been there before.”

Landon Dierks/Mitchell Republic

Dierks covers prep and high school sports throughout the Mitchell Republic's broadcast area. His focus areas include: Mitchell High School football and boys basketball, area high school football, volleyball, basketball, baseball and track and field, and South Dakota State football. He is also at the forefront of the Mitchell Republic's podcasting efforts. Dierks is a Mitchell native and graduated from South Dakota State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism in May 2020. He joined the Mitchell Republic sports team in August 2021. Reach him at [email protected] and on Twitter at @LDierksy.