It was a combination that had worked all season, and with a state championship on the line, Advance volleyball turned to it once more.
Senior Addie Curtis set the ball, Roz Schrader jumped above the net and the Hornets bench rose to their feet in anticipation. Schrader smacked the ball off the outstretched fingers of the Calvary Lutheran block and onto the other side of the court.
When ball touched the hardwood, clinching a title, the celebration was on. The bench players rushed onto the court, and the Hornets formed a dog pile years in the making.
For the first time in school history, Advance is state champions in volleyball, capping off a 37-2-1 season with a 25-12, 25-23 win over Calvary Lutheran in the Class 1 state final on Saturday morning at the Show Me Center.
"They deserve it -- I don't want to say more than any other team because all teams deserve it -- but these girls have been through so much," Advance coach Erin Hoffman said. "They're so close. They're just a special group."
The Hornets ended the year on a 13-match winning streak and didn't drop a set during that run. That included a 4-0 record in the final four, with two wins over Calvary Lutheran (27-11-2) in as many days.
In the process, Curtis and libero Katlyn Cook capped off their high school careers with a title. They, along with the rest of the team, will now be immortalized on the Advance gym wall, in the form of a team picture and championship banner.
"It's just unbelievable to me," Curtis said. "It's still hasn't [sunk] in. Maybe when we get home and see our picture on the wall and the banner, maybe it will hit me then. But it still hasn't yet."
Curtis finished her senior campaign with over 700 assists, including 26 in the championship plus 16 digs. Schrader led the way with 23 kills on a .524 hitting percentage plus eight digs. Despite a mid-season injury, the junior ended the season with over 300 kills.
Nyah Wilson added five kills, eight digs and two blocks, and Alyssa Miles had three kills and 10 digs, including two crucial ones late in the second set. Meadow Morse chipped in three kills and five digs, and Alandry Below had seven digs.
"Oh my gosh, my mind just went blank," Schrader said of match point. "I didn't know what to say. It's just so crazy, just being here and winning it is just wonderful."
Coming into this season, Advance's last final four appearance had been 35 years ago.