What Tecumseh volleyball has learned after back-to-back state runner-up finishes
MUNCIE, Ind. — The state runner-up table was set up yet again for Tecumseh at Worthen Arena.
The Braves stood solemnly as Southwood celebrated on the other side of the net during postgame ceremonies. The Knights' student section, decked out in red, were standing on their feet postgame while Tecumseh's students mostly sat quietly on the other side of the court.
Tecumseh's bid for its first-ever state title once again was short after falling to Southwood 3-1 (25-15, 19-25, 23-25, 19-25) in the Class A championship Saturday morning in Muncie. The No. 1 Braves kept battling as they always do and kept each set they dropped close. But they also gave up 14 points on service errors, including eight in the second set, as well as 31 errors on attacking.
No. 4 Southwood, which did win its first state championship in volleyball, took advantage of all of those errors.
"Part of our plan was to serve aggressively, because if you don't, they're just going to set up and kill on you," Tecumseh coach Katie Johnson said. "We were trying to serve aggressively, we have all year, but we just couldn't find a chord with it. So we had to just slow it down, and by slowing it down, you really allow them to set up in their offense. But we didn't have a choice."
What the Braves (32-5) continued to excel at was balancing the offensive attack. Three players registered double-digit kills, including a game-high 15 from Jenna Donohoo and 11 from this season's Mental Attitude Award winner Payge Johnson.
Donohoo and Johnson were part of a four-member senior class that accomplished many things on and off the court.
They lost just four home matches throughout their careers and never dropped a match in the Pocket Athletic Conference. They made countless clutch plays that proved beneficial in those state runners-up finishes. Donohoo and Johnson even played key roles in softball winning back-to-back state titles. So have a few other Braves in that sport and girls basketball.
"I'm really proud of us for getting here, especially two years in a row," Payge said. "That's really hard to do because everybody's out to get you the next year. Even though we didn't win, I'm so glad I got to have this experience with all my best friends out on the court."
Most of Tecumseh's core will once again return for next season. Ava Kissel, one of the PAC's best defenders, and Katelyn Marx, whose match point sent the Braves back to Muncie, will be seniors. Current sophomore Lydia Wilson already has multi-year experience at libero. Fellow classmates Bianca Lochmueller and Shae Bailey should also step into even bigger roles for next year.
Still, the last couple of years have been magical for Tecumseh High School. Four different teams have gone to the state finals since 2022, including some individuals in track and field. Kissel, in particular, has been one of Southwestern Indiana's top long jump athletes.
As the future will continue to be bright for one of the area's best volleyball programs, its returning players learned some key lessons after the loss to Southwood (32-4).
"They know how much it took for the girls to be able to get here," Johnson said. "A lot of dedication and hard work. A lot of these girls are playing year-round, and the new ones coming in are figuring out, 'If we want to get to this point, we're going to have to put that kind of work in, too.'"
Added Payge, "A lot of us were here last year, but the ones that weren't are going to learn what it's like to lose here. They're going to work extra hard next year because they know what the experience is like."
Courier & Press sports reporter Treasure Washington can be reached via her email, treasure.washington@courierpress.com, and on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Twashington490.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA volleyball: Tecumseh once again finishes as Class A runner-ups
