Volleyball hasn’t usually been important in Hutchinson. Generally, volleyball has been just a way to pass time before basketball season started. When Tina Johnson became Hutchinson High volleyball coach three years ago, she sensed the indifference. “I didn’t feel anything,” Johnson said. “Three years ago, Hutchinson volleyball? I didn’t feel a thing.” The year before Johnson took over, the Salthawks won three matches. They hadn’t been to the Class 6A state tournament since 1998. Hutchinson volleyball wasn’t just a losing program. There was apathy toward Salthawk volleyball. This year, the Salthawks did what was unthinkable three years ago – they went to the Class 6A state tournament. While the Salthawks went 0-3 at state, they were at long last among the elite. The 23-19 season and trip to state made Johnson an easy selection for The News’ area coach of the year. Central Plains junior Taylor Rolfs is the area player of the year. There was a time Johnson was wondering if she could build another program into a state power, like she did at Class 3A Hoisington. “The hardest part was starting over again,” Johnson said. “You don’t build a program in a year. You have to get people to buy in and accept change.” Johnson isn’t just talking about players accepting a new style of play and getting used to a new coach. She’s talking about everyone associated with Hutchinson volleyball wanting to change. Not just the Salthawks, but their parents, as well as the youth players in the city. But the change started with the Salthawks. For example, Johnson noticed during her first season that the players were tired during bracket play at weekend tournaments. Before, the Salthawks rarely were around that long at weekend tournaments. “It was, you play a couple matches and then you go home,” Johnson said. “We would get out of pool play, and we’d be exhausted for bracket play.” Hutchinson went 11-104 in its previous 115 matches before Johnson took over. But in her first season, the Salthawks went 20-20 and lost a three-set match to Wichita Northwest in the substate final. Enthusiasm began to build. The players improved. Home matches had bigger crowds. Winning actually became expected. This year, the Salthawks broke through. They prepared for the postseason by playing a rugged schedule. “If you’re going to play with the kind of teams you see at state, you’ve got to play those teams during the season,” Johnson said. “It’s a huge challenge at the 6A level.” Hutchinson entered substate play at Maize 21-16. After dispatching Wichita South in the semifinals, the Salthawks won a three-set thriller against Garden City. The Salthawks were going to state. Hutchinson was no longer an anonymous volleyball program. “When I saw our substate bracket, I thought we had a chance,” Johnson said. “The ride home from Maize was incredible, with the community behind us, and having a police escort, and having people supporting us down 17th (Avenue) ... it gave those kids memories that won’t ever be taken away from them.” The Salthawks fell to Olathe East, Olathe Northwest and Blue Valley at the state tournament, but the trip to Topeka was gravy. Hutchinson is now known as a community that can produce high-caliber volleyball. And while Johnson put Hutchinson volleyball on the right path, she refuses to take much credit. “I think you get to a point where it’s not about you, but about the community,” Johnson said. “You usually reap what you sow. We planted a seed here, and something good has happened. I hope I’m planting that seed with the younger kids here, too.” Player of the year: Taylor Rolfs, Central Plains: Like Hutchinson, volleyball hasn’t always been a priority to the city of Claflin. Basketball has been the girls’ sport of choice. Right up the road from Claflin, another community thrived in volleyball. When volleyball power Quivira Heights High School closed and joined Claflin to form Central Plains High School before the 2011-2012 school year, volleyball quickly transformed in Claflin. Rolfs has been at the center of that change. The 5-foot-11 outside hitter/setter pounded 453 kills in leading the Oilers to a 40-3 season and third-place finish at the Class 2A state tournament. “I feel before, volleyball was not a big deal,” Rolfs said. “But recently, it’s become a tradition because of our success. “ Rolfs made it a personal tradition of smashing the volleyball on the opponents’ half of the court. Not only did Rolfs routinely smack kills – she averaged 4.8 a set – but she also helped set up the offense. When she rotated to the back row, Rolfs became a setter, a position she hadn’t played before her freshman year. But Rolfs proved she was talented as a passer too, averaged 2.3 assists a set and finishing with 225, despite playing setter in just two rotations. “I was at practice one day, and she put me at setter,” Rolfs said, referring to her coach and mom, Kim Rolfs. “I guess I did a good enough job.” When Rolfs said th