Glenrock goes 1-2 at state, drops consolation semifinals

As with any new season, the Glenrock Lady Herders entered 2018 with the high hope of earning a spot at the 2A Wyoming State Volleyball Championships. When Glenrock stood in front of its home fans and raised the third-place hardware at the 2A East Regional last month, they did just that. They had secured their first trip to the state tournament since 2011.
So when they stepped foot on the court at the Casper Events Center last Thursday, it was only natural for the Lady Herders to be awed by the biggest stage of the season.
“We were all really excited to get to play on the state court but I think everyone was a little intimidated at first,” senior Olivia Sebesta said. “It was a lot to take in with all of the people and the way the court is set up way different than we are used to.”
It was all to be expected for Glenrock. After all, for many of the Lady Herders it was a dream they had been chasing well before they ever donned the varsity uniform and represented big purple.
But after a season in which they finished 23-11 and saw their highest placing at the regional tournament in seven years, it was only fitting that the Casper Events Center once again saw a glimpse of the Lady Herders.
“It had been a dream for all of us to play on that court,” junior Mandi Tvedt said. “It was kind’ve a breathtaking moment walking in there thinking about all of the years playing and working to get there, but as soon as we started playing all of the focus was on volleyball.”
As the No. 3 East seed, Glenrock began the state tournament on Thursday in the opening round against No. 2 West seed Shoshoni. They had beaten the Lady Wranglers earlier in the season and were poised to begin the tournament on a positive note.
After taking the opening set 25-19, the Lady Herders were outplayed by their small, yet aggressive opponent and dropped the opening round match in four sets. On Friday, needing a win to stay alive in the consolation round, Glenrock found its rhythm early on and completed a sweep of No. 4 West seed Kemmerer in three sets.
With a chance still to advance to the third-place match, the Lady Herders faced off against No. 4 East seed Southeast Saturday morning. It was a rematch of the 2A East Regional third-place match just one week earlier.
This time the Lady Cyclones had Glenrock’s number. Although the Lady Herders played close in sets two and three, they were ultimately swept 16-25, 19-25, 21-25.
“After we adjusted to the new environment, we ended up coming out with a win and it was a great feeling because it was above and beyond our goals this season,” Sebesta said. “I’m so proud of my team.
“Playing at state was a great experience and I wouldn’t have wanted to experience it with anyone else but my teammates.”

Awards
Sebesta and Tvedt were each named to the Wyoming 2A All-State team. Tvedt was named for the second straight year. They were each also named to the SEWAC All-Conference and 2A East All-Conference teams.
“I’m so glad I was able to achieve these accomplishments alongside one of my teammates,” Sebesta said about her All-State and All-Conference honors. “Mandi is such a hard worker and extremely motivated and that pushes me to work just as hard. Neither of us could have done it without the rest of our teammates and I’m thankful for everyone who helped me and pushed me to get to this point.
Tvedt added, “I am grateful to be able to share it with Olivia because we were together in practices pushing and supporting each other and it shows that the team’s hard work got us here together.”