Lady Wolves headed to state

Prior to last week's 4A West Regional Tournament in Green River, Lady Wolves head volleyball coach Rikki Shantz said she not only wanted her seniors to experience the state tournament for the first time, she also wanted the younger members of the team to soak in the atmosphere.

After a thrilling weekend of volleyball that ended with a fourth-place finish at the regional tournament, the team earned a birth in this week's 4A state tournament at the Casper Events Center.

"I'm still on cloud nine and I think the girls are too," Shantz said. "It's going to be awesome."

Fourth-seeded Green River will play the final game of the day Thursday when they battle Sheridan, the top seed from the East Region. The match is slated to take place at 6 p.m.

The Lady Broncs shocked their foes in 4A West after winning the tournament as a four-seed.

Going into the tournament, Sheridan had a 19-18 record.

Having played a tough schedule including multiple match-ups against the top two ranked teams in the state Natrona and Kelly Walsh, Shantz said she likes the way the team has played against them.

Shantz said they have always been close with Natrona, including a 26-24 win in the third set of a Saturday loss to the Mustangs.

Shantz likes the way her team has played against the top teams in the state.

"We've always been right there with them. I think we are still peaking, and we are still working and we are going to build on that," she said.

If the Lady Wolves win Thursday, they will play the winner of third seeded Cheyenne East and second seeded Natrona Friday at 6 p.m.