One of the interesting surprises this season has been the Colman-Egan volleyball team. After some struggles with a firstyear head coach last season, the C-E Hawks has found success, including being ranked 4B among the top-10 in Class B volleyball throughout the year.

"Last year, we were an up-and-down team," said second-year head coach Bethann Entringer. "This year they know what to expect. They work well together; we have four junior starters with the two seniors.

"They click and get along well in and out of practice which helps a lot. If you can't build a team with good chemistry, things aren't going to work as well."

Colman-Egan has a 21-2 record on the season as it enters District 4B play as a team to beat in Class B. Its two losses have been to Chester in September and Arlington two weeks ago. "We're going to have to play hard in districts," said senior setter Paige Hemmer. "We've been pulling out the wins in some tough games. We're still going to have VB to come out and play hard. We can't be sitting back, but we have to be on our toes and ready to go." The C-E Hawk offense has been led by junior middle hitter Morgan May. The 6-1 May has put down more than 160 kills this year, but has made noise defensively where she has more than 80 solo blocks. On the opposite side of the rotation is 5-11 Gina Fritz. The junior middle hitter has been a complement to May in the service rotation. Fritz has more than 90 kills on the season while totaling more than 40 solo blocks.

"When we put the ball in our middle's control it will all be okay," said Entringer. "Morgan has been an all-around player. She's smart and knows where to place the ball.

"When Gina gets up there, you don't want to have to dig up one of her balls. She hits them hard."

So far, the one-blocker system has helped Colman-Egan to its fast start. To that effect, its back row defense has been not been tested much by opposition. Of the C-E Hawks' 23 matches, only six have been pushed past the third set, which is a credit to their defense according to Hemmer.

"We cover the floor very well with one blocker," said Hemmer, who has more than 270 set assists on the season. "You don't have to talk as much, which helps us react and prevent the balls from dropping. In that way, we set our other girls where we have a good spread on the court. It's been hard for us to get in a hole. We're flexible on setting it and our hitters do very well from different positions."

With Colman-Egan's firstround opponent to be determined Tuesday, Entringer feels the C-E Hawks are prepared for a deep run into the state tourney.

Colman-Egan gets the winner of the Dell Rapids St. Mary-Lake Preston match, approximately 20 minutes after its conclusion Tuesday evening.

"We've had some tough matches," said Entringer. "We needed those tough matches to keep us on our toes and to remind us of what we need to work on.

"Plus, it builds confidence when you knock off better teams. We haven't struggled, but we need to remember to always work hard. We can't give up; we have to fight for every point we get. When we get ahead by five in a set, we need to work extra hard to keep those types of leads."