Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports
Free State’s Anniston Clark helped lead the Firebirds to a four-set victory over crosstown rival Lawrence on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025 at Free State High School.
Thursday evening’s volleyball clash between the Free State Firebirds and archival Lawrence Lions never really appeared to be in doubt.
Setting the tone with a strong defensive performance, the Firebirds easily dispatched the visiting Lions in four sets.
“When you have a group that has such strong chemistry and truly trusts one another — we can be pretty tough to beat,” said head coach Jayme Savage.
After numerous ties and lead changes, the Firebirds reeled off five consecutive points to take the opening set, 25-20.
“We came out from the get-go with a pretty solid game-plan, and it was just a matter of executing and keeping our nerves under control,” Savage said.
The Lions quickly regrouped — holding a 7-3 lead to open the second set. After seeing their advantage evaporate, outside hitter Rael Simien’s kill sparked a 4-0 run to put the Lions in front 13-8.
Free State replied with a 7-2 blitz, punctuated by a Tessa Nover-Estes’ spike — knotting the contest at 15-apiece. Free State grabbed its first lead of the set at 19-18 after middle blocker Anniston Clark dropped in a point courtesy of her soft touch.
Kills by Simien and Kennedy Glasgow pushed the Lions back in front, while using a 5-2 spurt to take the set, 25-22.
Despite a back-and-fourth contest through two sets, the Firebirds dominated from there — opening the third set on a decisive 16-4 blitz. The Lions were hurt by an inability to contain serves, allowing several aces to fall. Senior outside hitter Annika Lintecum’s strong backswing spike was on full display, helping Free State to a 21-5 lead en route to a 25-6 third set triumph.
Free State carried its momentum into the fourth set, jumping out to a 9-4 lead, capped off by Taylor Stucker’s serving ace. A block at the net of a Simien spike by Clark and Ella Roberts increased the Firebirds’ advantage to 19-10 — pulling away for a 25-12 match-set win.
After dropping the second set, Savage said that her squad was able to reset its mindset.
“One of the areas we really work on is eliminating unforced errors, and just really making constructive adjustments on the fly,” she said. “When we’re able to do that, the chemistry and fluidity of our offense and defense shines.”
After the convincing performance, Savage lauded the Lions for a gritty effort.
“Lawrence High is not one to mess with,” she said. “They have a lot of athleticism and pieces that are pretty dangerous.”
For the Firebirds, Nover-Estes registered a game-high 32 assists and 12 digs — while Clark finished with 18 kills. Savage that both Lintecum and Clark were “on fire” — while emphasizing that it was a total team effort.
“Our defense was also on fire and created a lot of opportunities for us,” she said. “And when we’re firing on all cylinders, it’s a fun thing to watch.”
Free State senior defensive specialist Ava Corbin said she was hyped up for the match.
“It’s always an exciting and intense environment and [the Lions] always come to fight,” she said.
The Firebirds, Corbin said, were making “too many simple errors” prior to flipping the switch entering the third set. “We were able to just clean it up really well in that third set and focus on what we do really well,” she said.
The victory moves Free State 13-8 overall and 6-3 in league-play. Lawrence, meanwhile, drops to 2-13 overall and 2-7 in league-play.
The Firebirds square off with Mill Valley (15-4) Tuesday, Oct. 7 in a road clash. The Lions will host a volleyball tournament on Saturday, Oct. 4 before hitting the road on Oct. 7 to face off against Olathe East (3-14).
