But as the first whistle blew, the Lady Wolverines focus turned to Thomas Jefferson in the first round of the state playoffs.
The private school got off to a fast start, scoring six of the first seven points.
Polk finally took the lead on the serve of Kaitlin Franks. The senior scored four straight points for a 12-8 lead. Thomas Jefferson fought back and tied the game up 12-12. The Lady Wolverines took the lead back at 15-13 and never looked back. Nikki Williams served up the final two points. The first, Denise Edwards scored a point on a Franks assist. The second, Williams aced to give Polk the 25-15 win.
In the second game, Polk found its groove. The Lady Wolverines scored the first seven points, highlighted by two aces by Haley Champion and a big kill by Brittany Phipps. Thomas Jefferson scored the next four points, but it wasnt enough to gain momentum. Polk got the ball back and scored nine of the next ten points. Sarah Angiers and Maggie Conner each had two kills in the run.
Down 16-8, Thomas Jefferson scored three straight points, but a kill by Conner stole the momentum. Finally, Katie Wilson served the last seven points, including to aces to ice the game at 25-10.
In the third game, Thomas Jefferson bounced back to take an 8-4 lead early. The match went back and forth until Edwards scored Polks 23rd point of the game to tie things up. Angiers served up the final two points with Conner and Williams registering kills.
I think tonight they worked together as a team regardless of rotation, head coach Heather Claussen said. Its good to make it out of the first round.
Polk (15-5) will host Murphy (16-6) tonight. The match is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m.