The Lady Eagles warmed up with anxious faces as the crowd buzzed with excitement, awaiting the start of the state championship volleyball game. Determination was felt in the air as the girls hit back and forth to each other with nervous smiles.

The Lady Eagles went down in history after they were victorious over the Bushland Falcons winning their first 4A state volleyball championship title. The Lady Eagles won 3-0 in the state championship game at the Curtis Culwell Center on Saturday, Nov. 21.

“It’s unbelievable, honestly,” junior Halee Van Poppel(9) said. “It doesn’t even feel real to me right now because we lost last year.”

The first set began with a serve into the net by number eight on the Bushland team. After a serve by senior Strealy Sizelove (11), junior Allison White (7) blocked the ball for an Eagle point making the score 6-4, Argyle in the lead. Later on, senior Eighmy Dobbins (1) served, and White ended the rally with a powerful spike making the score 13-5, Argyle still leading. Van Poppel served, and Dobbins slammed the ball into the opposing court for an Eagle kill. Van Poppel’s ace serve surprised the Falcons, taking the score to 14-5. After a timeout from the Falcons, Bushland’s number four served, and a tip from senior Emma Malone (8) was declared out, which was good for a Falcon point with Eagles still up 22-14. White put an end to the first set with an impressive hit, Eagles taking the set 25-15.

Although there were some nerves involved going into the game, the girls pushed through.

“We felt really confident going in, but as always, there was that chance,” head coach Clark Oberle said. “I was a little nervous. They were a little nervous, but once we got on the court, they shipped those off and did a great job.”

The second set of the game came with a serve from Dobbins, and White spiked to the sideline giving the Eagles the first point. As the game went on, Sizelove served, and a tip by White increased the score to 13-7. A block by junior Brittany Hamilton(15) increased the score to 17-12 with Bushland trailing. After a timeout from the Falcons, an ace by Bushland’s number eight made the score 17-14. However, Dobbins increased the score to 21-18 with a hard spike. Falcons (14) served the ball to the Eagles who returned the ball, and Bushland’s number five hit it out of bounds for an Argyle point, increasing the score to 24-22. After a serve by Bushland’s 14 player, White returned the ball with a tip, winning the second set 25-23.

Since the girls have experience under pressure, they went into the game playing as like it was any other.

“We have played here before, so it kind of felt like any other game,” Van Poppel said.

The last set began with a block by Malone giving Argyle the first point. A block by White and Alexa Bass (4) won a point for Argyle increasing the score to 4-2 Eagles. White also had another impressive spike, bringing the score to 6-3 with Bushland trailing. A block and a spike by White brought the score to 14-8. Sizelove began the rally while Dobbins finished off with a tip making the score 17-11 with Argyle still in the lead. After a serve by Bass, Van Poppel slammed the ball into the court making the score 22-14. White sealed the win with a kill into Falcon Territory leading Argyle to victory with a final score of 25-14 and claiming the 4A state championship title.

“We played really good, and we never gave up,” senior Eighmy Dobbins said. “We worked well together and knew that when we were down, we had to work together. I think we did a really good job of staying aggressive.”

Dobbins received the MVP award for the championship game.

“I thought she [Dobbins] stepped up and did a great job,” Oberle said. “She scored a lot of big points when we needed them, and that’s been the story of her career.”

The Lady Eagles went down in history on Saturday Nov. 21 at the Curtis Culwell Center when they won the 4A state championship volleyball tournament for the first time in school history, despite being four time state contenders.

“We are all really excited, but I think it’ll sink in in a few days, and it’ll really hit us, but I’m pretty glad I did it with this team,” Dobbins said. “It’s been one of the best teams that Argyle has ever had, if not the best.”