By BEN KLEINE

Staff writer

The Hillsboro volleyball team defeated Lyons, Marion, and Remington Saturday at Sedgwick to move onto the 3A state tournament starting Friday in Salina.

No longer plagued by slow starts and inconsistent play, the Trojans won all three matches in straight games, beating Lyons 25-14 and 25-13, Marion 25-19 and 25-19, and Remington 25-12 and 25-22.

“I think our serving and constant attacking were strengths for us against all the teams we played,” head coach Sandy Arnold said. “We started out focused; we had a game plan going in to every game.”

Dakota Kaufman sparkled in two hard fought games against Marion, dominating the match with her ferocious hitting.

“Dakota Kaufman played extremely well in this match,” Marion head coach Jim Versch said. “I think no one in the state could stop her.”

Arnold was also impressed with the play of setter Candace Weinbrenner coming back from an illness and Taryn Mayfield’s hitting.

“Our team, as a while, played well together,” Arnold said. “Our back row was solid and our passing really made things easier for our offense.”

Hillsboro will play in a pool with No. 2 seed Wichita Collegiate, No. 3 Phillipsburg, and No. 7 Eureka. The Trojans will start against 37-2 Phillipsburg at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. Also, the Trojans gave Wichita Collegiate its only loss of the season on Oct. 20.

“The competition is only going to get tougher so we will have to look sharp,” Arnold said.