KIMBALL, NE — This year marks the 50th year of the NSAA state volleyball tournaments.

Thursday, Kimball celebrated their part of that history, honoring the 1979 Class B Champions. Multiple players and coaches returned to watch Kimball take on Morrill.

Former player Deb Walker says it was great to see her old teammates again.

"It was surreal," Walker said. "It brought back a lot of good memories. It was like we hadn't even been gone."

The 1979 Lady Longhorns volleyball squad went 23-1 and did not drop a set at the state tournament.

Angie Reed, a senior on that team, says it was a team effort to get the job done.

"It wasn't really one person, it took us all to win and to stay together," Reed said. "That team chemistry is what helped bond us."

Like all championship teams, the work started during practice and most other times of the day.

"I spent every lunch period [in the gym] serving," Walker said. "Every study hall, we were in the gym serving and spiking."

"P.E. too," Reed added. "Any chance we had to work."

"Games, we were so excited for games because games were a piece of cake because our practices were so hard," Walker said.

Nine players from the Kimball’s ’79 team earned college offers. Eight went on to play at the next level. Five eventually became coaches including Kimball’s current coach Jeri Ferguson.

The 1979 team remains the only volleyball team from Kimball to make the state tournament. 

This year’s Kimball volleyball team did their predecessor proud, winning 3-1 Thursday as well.

Potter-Dix, who won the D1 state tournament in 1989 will honor their championship team Friday. 

Elsewhere in the panhandle, these schools have won volleyball championships:

Chappell: 1995, 1996 (D1)
Lodgepole: 1977 (D1), 1984 (D2)
Sidney: 1981, 1982, 1984, 1989 (B)
Potter: 1975, 1976 (D)
Scottsbluff: 1976 (A)
Gering: 1985 (B)
Alliance St. Agnes: 1978 (D), 1987 (D2)
Ogallala: 1975, 1983, 200 (B)