A thunderous kill on an overpass sent the crowd into ecstasy and the Milford volleyball team into the history books.
That kill, the 30th of the match by sophomore Shayla Rautenberg, gave Milford its first volleyball state championship with a 25-13, 16-25, 25-15, 25-19 win over Holdrege.
“It was a fantastic week of volleyball,” Coach Emily Restau said. “The support that we had was unreal, and we are so grateful to be Milford.”
The Eagles opened the tournament Nov. 5 with a 23-25, 25-18, 25-14, 25-20 win over Adams Central, the first ever win at state for MHS. Rautenberg recorded 22 kills, and Braelynn Muller added 12 and three aces serves for the Eagles. MHS hit .208 in the match, with Rautenberg swinging at a .370 clip. Kylie Jakub added 36 set assists, and Libbie Reil notched 15 digs. Jakub added 14, and Adalyn Cisneros picked up 10.
The win put the Eagles into the semifinals against a familiar opponent – Malcolm, which had beaten Lincoln Lutheran in the opening round. It was the third meeting this season between the two teams, including the subdistrict championship. The Eagles won this go-round 25-18, 25-22, 25-23. Rautenberg led the way with 15 kills, and Muller put down 10. The two matched Malcolm's Dolliver sisters, Halle and Payton, who combined for 26 kills.
Jakub recorded 26 assists, and Muller served three aces. Jakub and Reil had 13 and 10 digs, respectively.
The win put the Eagles in the championship match for the first time in school history. Across the net was Holdrege, the Class C1 Cinderella story. The eighth-seeded Dusters knocked off top-seeded Ogallala in the opening round and then beat No. 4 seed Omaha Concordia in the semifinals.
With the electric and loud atmosphere at the Devaney Sports Center for the championship match, Restau said it was difficult to get the girls' attention at times.
“If I could not get someone's attention, I would tell the girl closest to me to relay the information to the girls. The girls although have gotten used to a loud environment as our community/student sections have our gym loud as well,” she said.
The Eagles, led by Rautenberg outhit Holdrege .235 to .144. Rautenberg was almost flawless, committing just six errors on 59 attempts and hit .407. She also served four aces and picked up 17 digs.
Senior Sydney Burkey added eight kills, and she and fellow senior Sarah Reynolds had five digs each. Jakub, also a senior, delivered 42 assists. On defense, four Eagles reached double figures in digs – Rautenberg, Jakub with 14, and Cisneros and Reil with 12 each.
“These girls have put in the work to accomplish their dreams. The seniors started this back in the summer when they met with the coaches and expressed what they wanted to see this season,” Restau said. “The common theme was grace and gratitude, and these girls and this team carried that out tremendously all season long. Their leadership and ability to accept a role was what helped us have such a successful season.”
She said the team had confidence in itself throughout the tournament and did a good job moving on to the next ball.
“As a coaching staff, we are so proud of these girls for their poise and ability to adjust our game plan throughout the match,” she said. “These girls did a great job trusting the process and staying grounded. Their mental side of the game is so strong.
“We had strong performances from many different players in all aspects of the game. These girls just lean on each other and trust that if they are having an off game, their teammates have their backs. Accomplishing this goal and dream was a complete team effort by all 27 team members of the 2025 volleyball team. I cannot express my thanks for all the sacrifices they have made to put the team over themselves.”
She also thanked all the supporters, players, coaches, managers, parents, administration, students and community for all the support throughout the season.
In addition to winning the first girls' championship for MHS, the 33-1 Eagles saw several records set throughout the season. Rautenberg set the record for kills in a match with 39 in the district final against Kearney Catholic. Jakub finished her career with 1,039 digs and 3,125 assists.
The 33 season wins is a school record. The previous was 24, tied last year. This was Milford's fourth trip to the state tournament.
Rautenberg was named to the Omaha World Herald and Lincoln Journal Star All-Class All-Tournament Team. She and Jakub also both made the Omaha World Herald and Lincoln Journal Star Class C1 All-Tournament Team.
