The Bobcats are back on the big stage for the first time in 13 years.

Ninth-seeded Brookings takes on No. 1 Rapid City Stevens in the quarterfinals of the Class AA State Volleyball Tournament on Thursday at noon at the PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls.

“We’re really excited; we know that the state tournament is the best group of teams in the state and we’re excited to be a part of it,” said BHS coach Jodi Melius. “… Right now we have a lot of excitement, we have a lot of enthusiasm; but I think, too, when we get into that atmosphere, it’s definitely a bigger venue and just a bigger experience than these girls have ever played in. So I guarantee we’ll have some nerves starting out that first match but I think the fact that we’ve played Rapid City Stevens before and that we know a little bit about them as a team really calms the nerves, too.”

The Bobcats (15-13) won seven of their final nine regular-season matches before toppling Aberdeen Central 25-23, 25-17, 17-25, 25-15 in the SoDak 16 on Nov. 8. They were the only road team to advance.

“No. 1, we’ve really been serving aggressively, so that’s been an advantage,” Melius said of her team’s success down the stretch. “We’re really trying to get teams out of system and I think that’s paid off for us. Our defense has looked really consistent and has been reading hitters well, and then our hitters have been making really good decisions.

“So I think with that combination we’re just playing our best volleyball of the season.”

The Raiders (31-1), who have dropped just nine sets this year, easily swept Sturgis 25-9, 25-11, 25-14 in the match to go to state.

Brookings and Stevens faced off Oct. 20 in Rapid City, with the home team claiming a 23-25, 25-12, 26-24 victory in the best-of-three match.

Senior Michaela Jewett has had a solid year for the Bobcats, totaling 805 set assists, 158 kills, 46 service aces. 22 1/2 blocks (three solo) and 344 digs.

Kylie Tucker has 241 kills and is hitting .211. She’s added 53 bocks (eight solo), 22 aces and 93 digs. Fellow senior Kailee Bartels has 195 kills (hitting .153) and 33 1/2 blocks (two solo).

Junior Johanna Miller has contributed 181 kills, hitting .133, and 27 1/2 blocks (three solo). Regan Weisbeck has 130 kills, 13 aces and 103 digs, while fellow junior Clarissa Miller’s totals include 65 kills and 24 1/2 blocks (four solo).

Senior Miranda Ysbrand paces the defense with 415 digs. Seniors Ashlyn Borah and Alli Gordon have 236 and 144 digs, respectively, and Molly Steffensen has added 135.

Borah has 32 service aces, Steffensen 25, Gordon 12 and Ysbrand 10.

The Bobcats are 92.8 percent at the service line with 174 aces overall.

“It’s really important for us to keep that serving percentage up, but also to serve aggressively; so that’s that balance you always work for,” noted Melius. “Really, we’ve been getting a lot of aggressive serves from girls who maybe normally are more known for getting the ball over and in and playable. So that combination has worked really well for us as of late.”

Stevens is hitting .337 as a team with 988 kills. The Raiders are 89 percent on serves with 288 aces.

Phebie Rossi, a 6-foot-3 senior middle, is a force at the net with 222 kills and 76 1/2 blocks (68 solo).

Senior Elizabeth Schaefer, a 5-10 outside hitter, has 209 kills, 46 aces, 19 blocks (14 solo) and 182 digs. Five-11 junior Kyah Watson’s added 177 kills, 45 aces, 15 1/2 blocks (11 solo) and 173 digs.

Middle Carly Buehner has 165 kills, 52 1/2 blocks (44 solo) and 21 aces. Outside Emily Sobczak has contributed 120 kills, 24 aces 15 blocks (eight solo) and 84 digs. Both players are 5-11 seniors.

Senior Marlee Schneider guides the offense with 834 set assists. She has racked up 91 aces to go with 65 kills and 167 digs.

Junior Laura Petik paces the defense with 270 digs. She also has 34 aces.

“They are very solid offensively; they have a lot of different weapons who can hit the ball,” Melius said of the Raiders. “From Schaeffer and Watson – their outsides – and Rossi and Buehner in the middle, they have just a lot of weapons and they play well as a team.”

What will be the keys for the Bobcats the second time around versus the Raiders?

“I think blocking was huge for us before and I think blocking will be big again; just being in the right spot against their hitters and then just playing solid defense – not letting the ball hit the floor,” Melius said. “I think another thing that will factor in is that aggressive serving that we talked about. If we can keep them from running their middles in the offense it makes it easier for us to key in on their outsides.”

Stevens’ lone setback this season with a 25-22, 25-11, 25-17 loss at Sioux Falls Washington on Sept. 15. Eleven of Brookings’ 12 in-state losses came against state tourney qualifiers.

Brookings last qualified for state in 2005, when it placed fifth.

The Bobcats have advanced to the tourney 18 times overall, including nine consecutive appearances from 1982-90.

Brookings won the 1985 Class A championship.

Rapid City Stevens is a state tournament regular, qualifying 33 times in 38 seasons since the sport was sanctioned in 1982.

The Raiders have made it to state 20 seasons in a row.

Stevens was runner-up a year ago, falling 25-17, 21-25, 25-23, 25-15 to Harrisburg in the final in Rapid City. The Raiders won Class AA crowns in 1992 and 2007 and were second in 2002 (fall). In the two-class era, they were victorious in Class A in 1986 while taking second in 1987, 1988 and 1989.

• No. 4 Watertown (22-5) vs. No. 5 Huron (17-7), 1:45 p.m.

The Arrows swept the regular-season series against the Tigers.

Watertown won 22-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-20 at home on Aug. 30 and 25-8, 25-20, 25-17 on Oct. 16 in Huron.

Senior Mariah Gloe and junior Sophie Tietz led the Arrows.

Gloe, a 5-10 outside, has 262 kills, 38 blocks (12 solo) and 300 digs. Tietz, a 5-11 middle, has 212 kills, 83 blocks (37 solo) and 30 aces.

Senior Annie Norberg (438) and junior Alexx Bayles (348) have combined for 786 set assists.

Tiger senior Hollee Niehus, a 5-8 hitter, has racked up 369 kills, 39 blocks (eight solo), 31 aces and 214 digs.

Sophomore Tenley Buddenhagen has 697 set assists, 318 digs and 52 aces. Junior Havyn Heinz has 606 digs.

• No. 3 Sioux Falls O’Gorman (27-5) vs. No. 6 Mitchell (16-8), 6 p.m.

The Lady Knights twice swept the Kernels in the regular-season.

O’Gorman won a best-of three match 25-20, 25-7 on Aug. 25 in Huron and then posted a 25-15, 25-16, 25-20 home victory Oct. 4.

Lady Knights junior Emma Ronsiek, a 6-1 outside hitter, has 453 kills, 60 aces, 19 blocks (four solo) and 264 digs.

Eighth-grader Bergen Reilly (486) and sophomore Raegen Reilly (417) have combined for 903 set assists – Bergen has added 62 aces and Raegen 240 kills.

Senior Jaime Renshaw has come up with 360 digs. Junior Sydney Wambach has recorded 31 blocks (three solo).

Mitchell is led by a trio of seniors.

Chelsea Brewster, a 5-11 outside hitter, has 281 kills, 39 aces, 17 blocks (four solo) and 272 digs.

Carly Haring, a 6-2 middle hitter, has 257 kills and 46 blocks (11 solo).

Mandy Schmidt has totaled 773 set assists, 228 digs, 22 aces and 10 blocks.

• No. 2 Sioux Falls Washington (28-5) vs. No. 7 Sioux Falls Roosevelt (16-13), 7:45 p.m.

The Warriors went 2-0 versus the Rough Riders in the regular season.

Washington won 25-10, 25-23, 25-22 on its home court Aug. 30, before making the trip across town for a 21-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-16 triumph Sept. 27.

The Warriors, who swept top-seeded Stevens on Sept. 15 – the Raiders’ lone loss of the year – have put up big numbers this season with 1,252 kills and 246 ace serves.

Senior Lily Bartling, a 6-1 outside hitter, leads the way with 384 kills, 40 aces, 24 blocks (nine solo) and 363 digs.

Junior Phekran Kong, a 6-4 middle, has 270 kills and 69 blocks (33 solo).

Senior Samiya Jami, a 6-1 middle, has contributed 267 kills, 42 1/2 blocks (19 solo), 42 aces and 357 digs.

Alyssa Elton, a 6-1 senior, sports a team-high 66 aces to go with 42 blocks (six solo).

Aspen Langley guides the offense with 975 set assists and Peyton Rymerson paces the defense with 604 digs. Langley has also netted 41 aces.

Senior Leah Koltz, a 6-1 middle, leads a balanced Roosevelt offense with 257 kills and junior Tatum Wilson has 221. Koltz has also notched 54 blocks (21 solo) and 33 aces.

Freshman Elizabeth Denevan has tallied 567 set assists. She has 205 digs and senior Erin Denevan has 267. Tatum Kooima has 37 aces. 

A complete tournament schedule is in the Scoreboard.