Kerry Will tried for four years as a player to bring the first Wyoming State High School Volleyball Championship to Cheyenne Central but was unable to do it.

It only took her one year as a coach.

The Indians defeated defending Class 4A state champion Kelly Walsh 24-26, 25-16, 25-23, 18-25, 15-7 in a back-and-forth match that saw both teams play at the top of their games.

"That's the way a state championship match should be," said Will, who graduated from Central in 1993 after playing on the state runner-up team in 1992. "It should be tough, and you should have to play your hardest to win.

"I thought both teams brought out the best in each other."

Neither side was able to really separate itself in the match except for a few short runs. The biggest run in the match came in Game 5.

The Trojans jumped out to a 3-1 lead with an ace serve by Jen Boe, but the Indians won the next 10 points to take an 11-3 lead in the first-to-15 deciding set. Central senior Hillary Carlson had three kills and stuff block in that run, and senior Courtney Rusk added a kill and a stuff block, as well.

"Central played a great match and did everything they needed to win," KW coach Jeff Barkell said. "(Carlson) did a nice job to get herself in position to get some kills against us."

Before that stretch in the final set, both teams played great defense at the net with few kills actually getting through to the back line.

"We knew that Kelly Walsh has some good hitters, and (the net defense) had to be the best that it has ever been," Carlson said. "We have really improved from the beginning of the season to now on our blocking and our play at the net."

The only problem for Central now is how to follow it up. The Indians will lose five seniors, including Carlson and Rusk, but will return four starters.

"I've set the bar way too high for myself, I think," Will said. "But that's exactly why I came back to Central. I wanted to bring them a state championship."

Contact sports reporter Ian Stauffer at (307) 266-0578 or ian.stauffer@casperstartribune.net