Holton Breaks Through, Captures First State Volleyball Championship in School History
For three consecutive seasons, the Holton volleyball team had come within reach of a state championship, only to see the opportunity slip away.
The Wildcats had established themselves as one of Kansas' premier programs, making repeated trips to the state tournament and challenging for the sport's ultimate prize. But each season ended without the championship they had worked so hard to capture.
On Saturday, in their fourth consecutive appearance at the state tournament, Holton finally finished the job.
The Wildcats defeated defending champion Silver Lake in straight sets, 25-20 and 25-23, to capture the first state volleyball championship in school history. It was a breakthrough years in the making, and one that came against the very team that had stood between Holton and the title a year earlier.
The road to the championship required two victories Saturday in Hutchinson. And when the final point fell, the Wildcats had done more than win a tournament. They had made school history.
A trip through the semifinals
The Class 3A field had been narrowed to four teams Saturday morning: Holton, Silver Lake, Hesston and Frontenac.
Holton and Silver Lake each finished pool play with 2-1 records, while Hesston went unbeaten at 3-0 in its pool. Frontenac also advanced with a 2-1 record, earning victories over Lakin and Galena.
The semifinal matchups were set: Silver Lake against Frontenac and Holton against Hesston.
For Holton, the semifinal against the Swathers did not get off to the start the Wildcats envisioned.
Hesston scored the first five points and quickly built an 8-3 lead, putting Holton in an early hole. But the Wildcats responded with the kind of resilience that would define their championship Saturday.
Holton scored six of the next seven points to take the lead and never trailed again in the opening set. The Wildcats eventually closed it out, 25-15.
After falling behind 5-0, Holton had outscored Hesston 25-10 the rest of the way.
The second set brought an entirely different opening. This time, it was Holton that jumped ahead, racing out to a 4-0 advantage before Hesston began its comeback.
The teams traded points throughout the early stages, with ties at 7-7, 8-8, 9-9 and 11-11. Holton eventually created some separation, winning six of seven points to take a 20-16 lead.
Hesston refused to go quietly, making one final push, but the Wildcats held their ground and finished off the 27-25 victory to secure the semifinal sweep.
Holton had earned its place in the championship match. Now it had to wait to find out who would be standing across the net.
A familiar opponent awaits
The second semifinal featured Silver Lake and Frontenac, with a place in the championship match on the line.
Frontenac took the opening set, but the Eagles answered by winning the next two to eliminate the Raiders and set up the matchup many had anticipated.
It would be Holton against Silver Lake.
The Big East rivals were meeting in the state championship for the second consecutive season, renewing a rivalry that had become one of the defining matchups in Class 3A volleyball.
Silver Lake arrived with a championship pedigree few programs in Kansas could match. The Eagles were making their 15th appearance in a state championship match and entered Saturday with 10 Class 3A state volleyball titles, the most of any program in Kansas.
They were seeking a second consecutive championship and an 11th title overall.
Holton, meanwhile, was making its 11th trip to the state tournament and its fourth in a row. The Wildcats had endured their share of heartbreak along the way, including a runner-up finish against Silver Lake the previous season. Holton had also recorded fourth-place finishes in 2004 and 2011.
The Wildcats had been knocking on the door for years. This time, they would have to go through the defending champions to finally open it.
Saturday's championship match marked the fifth meeting between the teams this season, with each having won twice. It was also their ninth matchup over the previous two seasons.
There was little left to learn about one another. The only question was which team would have the final word.
The Wildcats take control
The opening set of the championship match followed the familiar pattern of two evenly matched teams trading points early.
Holton, however, began to find its rhythm and created some separation with a four-point run that turned a close set into a 9-4 advantage.
The Wildcats continued to build on that momentum, stretching their lead to 13-6 and forcing Silver Lake to use its first timeout.
As it had throughout the day, Silver Lake responded.
The Eagles came out of the timeout with renewed energy, scoring eight of the next 12 points to cut the deficit to 17-14. The run forced Holton coach Kristel Bontrager to call a timeout of her own.
The break proved timely.
Holton regrouped and answered with four of the next five points, extending its advantage and forcing Silver Lake to use its final timeout of the set.
The Eagles could not mount another serious challenge.
Holton maintained control down the stretch and closed out the opening set, 25-20, moving one set away from the championship.
One set from history
The second set offered more of the same back-and-forth volleyball, with neither team willing to give the other much room.
Holton held early advantages of 6-4, 7-5, 8-6, 9-7 and 10-8 before beginning to create separation midway through the set.
The Wildcats built a 15-10 lead, forcing another Silver Lake timeout.
But the defending champions were not ready to surrender their crown.
Silver Lake chipped away at the deficit, steadily working its way back into the match. The Eagles eventually pulled within 21-20, prompting another timeout from Bontrager as the pressure continued to mount.
The comeback carried into the closing points.
With the championship hanging in the balance, the teams found themselves tied at 23-23. Two points separated Holton from history, while Silver Lake was fighting to extend its season and force a deciding third set.
Holton earned the next point to move ahead 24-23.
Match point.
Then came the moment the Wildcats had spent years chasing.
Khloe Black delivered the championship-winning kill, bringing the match to an end and sending Holton into celebration.
The Wildcats had done it.
A 25-20, 25-23 victory over the defending champions. A state championship. And, for the first time in school history, Holton volleyball stood alone at the top of Class 3A.
A championship years in the making
The celebration carried significance well beyond the volleyball court.
Holton's championship was the first state volleyball title in school history and just the third girls state championship in any sport for the school.
The Wildcats joined the two Holton girls basketball teams that captured Class 4A state championships in 1994 and 2011.
It was the culmination of a remarkable season for a team that had spent years building toward this opportunity.
The primary rotation featured Khloe Black, Stephanie Crawford, Tinley Wilson, Faith Olberding, Kinley Fluke, Marley Gilliland and Beka Lassey.
The remainder of the Wildcats' state tournament roster included Joely Shupe, Ellis Larson, Taylor Kivitter, Addison Zeller, Payton Crawford and Brenna Bontrager.
Together, they authored the greatest season in Holton volleyball history.
The Wildcats finished 39-10, adding a Big East League championship to their historic state title.
Silver Lake, despite falling short of a repeat, completed another outstanding campaign with a 37-9 record and a runner-up finish.
For the Eagles, it was another season worthy of recognition. For Holton, it was the season that changed everything.
Three consecutive years of coming close had led to this moment. Four straight trips to the state tournament had finally produced the championship the Wildcats had envisioned.
And when it was all over in Hutchinson, there was no longer a door left to knock on.
Holton had kicked it down.
Congratulations to head coach Kristel Bontrager and the 2026 Holton Wildcats volleyball team — Class 3A state champions.
