It started with a kill and then a block, and Chaparral was already on its way to the 5A volleyball state championship. But it wasn’t easy.

In a matchup of the conference’s top two teams, it was the Firebirds coming away with its first title since 2007, and fourth overall, by defeating Sunrise Mountain 3-2 (25-16, 19-25, 25-19, 12-25, 15-9).

Chaparral couldn’t have scripted a better start. The team went up 6-1 thanks to a pair of blocks on the left side. But after a timeout by Sunrise Mountain, the Mustangs came right back with a 9-1 run of their own to take a 10-8 lead. Back and forth at the net and the game is tied at 15-15. The front lines were turning back or altering attempt after attempt on both sides.

Luck then came into play. Chaparral senior Clara Schramm forced a ball over the net that she scooped from her knees that somehow got over the tape and in bounds on the other side for a 16-15 lead. Two plays later, senior libero Caprice Cooper’s serve hit the net and fell into the open space in the middle of Chaparral’s court. The team found its offensive rhythm after that and took the first game 25-16.

Chaparral used its tall front line to get out quickly again in the second game 10-4, with sophomore middle blocker Morgan Thorne in on three blocks. While the Mustangs were getting solid attacks, the ball just wasn’t finding the floor. The team had to rely on Chaparral miscues along the way. They were able to keep it close until senior outside hitter Addison Wiemann rotated around to the front. Wiemann was not afraid to swing away, tallying 24 attempts in the set. Her strength kept Chap off balance and the Mustangs ran away with it, as Wiemann put her final two swings down for kills and tied the match.

Wiemann had an amazing 100 attempts, which is tied for 13th all time in state history for a five-game match. And her 38 kills fell one shy of tying for 20th.

“We watched so much film on this team and I knew they were outside heavy,” said Schramm. “Our middles did such an amazing job closing. We were a big presence at the net tonight and I am so grateful for our team and defense playing well behind us.”

Sunrise Mountain kept the pressure on in the third game. The team went up 8-4, forcing Chap into a timeout. But it was more of the same for the Firebirds – chipping away with aces and blocks, and took their first lead at 14-13. After Wiemann sent a free ball over from her knees with her back to the net that landed deep in Chap territory for the 16-14 lead, momentum swung back to Chaparral, outscoring their opponents 11-3 the rest of the way.

“We weren’t getting our offense rolling,” Chaparral head coach Evan Sedillo said. “They were just taking it to us with ball control and their attacks, which is really at a high level for them. We worked hard and we stabilized. The girls rallied and we got some momentum back, some control, served them tough, and getting easier balls back. That’s when our offense started to take off.”

Sunrise Mountain simply rode Wiemann and fellow outside Brooklyn Jenkins all the way through the fourth frame. They kept the pressure at the net all game on both sides and it not only resulted in 12 kills for the team, also forced Chaparral into hitting -.089%. And now it was Wiemann’s turn to dominate in the back row. Her six straight service points had the Mustangs up 15-6. Sunrise Mountain controlled everything from there to force a deciding fifth game.

In the final stanza, it was all Chaparral. The team led wire to wire. When the last kill hit the floor, it was joy and relief, and also a cure for the exhaustion of a marathon match.

“This has been in the back of my mind since freshman year. I knew senior year was going to be special,” exclaimed Schramm. “When the last ball hit the floor, I was so proud of my teammates. The journey we’ve gone through together. It was amazing watching our growth as a team and watching my growth as a player.”

Thorne finished with one block solo and eight assists for the match, and Chaparral had 15 as a team. Schramm led her squad with 15 kills to go along with 12 digs and three block assists. Cooper, who had to face a majority of Wiemann’s attempts, had a match-high 43 digs.

The Mustangs were busy on the back row as four players tallied at least 19 digs, led by senior setter Lily Rolfes’ 28. She also had a match-high 42 assists.

“I knew we had it in us. I really thought we had it in us today to finish this off,” Sedillo added.