CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Helias Lady Crusaders didn't care what it would take to win the Class 3 state volleyball championship.
Three sets? No sweat.
Helias accomplished its goal of hanging another banner in Rackers Fieldhouse, knocking off defending state champion Lutheran South 25-17, 23-25, 25-15 in Saturday night's championship match at the Show Me Center.
The Lady Crusaders have won a state title both times they have reached the Final Four, winning the program's first championship in 2014.
"I've watched my children be born, and nothing can really top that," Helias coach David Harris said. "But this is probably right under that.
"The satisfaction I get is watching the joy that the players have. This is an exceptional group of kids."
Saturday night was only the third time all season Helias played in a three-set match. The Lady Crusaders also won the other two, topping Briarcrest Christian (Tenn.) in the St. Joseph's Academy Tournament and then beating Logan-Rogersville in the state quarterfinals to get to the Final Four.
"The experience that we had last week against Logan-Rogersville really helped us," Harris said. "They kept their composure last week, they kept their composure tonight."
After dropping a close second set, Helias wasted little time regrouping before the third set. The Lady Crusaders never trailed in the final set, jumping out to an 8-1 lead after setter Jada Oldham dinked a shot over the net and found a hole in the Lutheran South defense.
"I really didn't have to say much," Harris said of his talk between sets. " They had already talked it out and they were ready to go."
Lutheran South (32-5-3) cut its deficit to 9-5, but that was the closest the Lady Lancers would get in the final set.
Erin Wyrick shifted the momentum back the Lady Crusaders' way with a block on the next point. The Helias senior finished with a match-high six blocks, one shy of her season-best total.
"Some people shrink away from the spotlight, other people rise to it," Harris said. "Every big game we've had, she always rises to the occasion and always has a good match."
Callie Henson added a kill and Lutheran South committed a pair of errors to make the score 14-6. Ellie Rockers had a kill from the back row to make the score 18-9.
When a kill from Regan Bruns stretched the lead to 22-12, Harris said it was hard not to starting counting down the points.
"All we have to do is get a side out, side out, side out," he said.
Bruns had another kill to make it 23-13, then Korie Otto added a kill to give Helias championship point at 24-15.
On the next point, an attack error by Lutheran South's Danielle Bishop gave the Lady Crusaders their second state title in four seasons. Just as they had the week before after the quarterfinal win against Logan-Rogersville, the Helias bench stormed the court for a dogpile.
"It hasn't really set in yet," said Bruns, who finished with a double-double of 11 kills and 11 digs for Helias. "I feel like we're supposed to be playing another game right now. I just can't stop smiling."
Helias fell behind 9-6 in the first set, but Otto began the comeback, getting one of three straight kills for the Lady Crusaders to tie the score at 10.
Rockers dinked a shot for a kill to give Helias a 14-13 lead. The Lady Crusaders wouldn't trail the rest of the set, finishing it off with a kill from Otto.
"We knew it was important (to win the first set)," Helias senior Hannah Borchelt said. "We worked really hard for it. We had lost the first set yesterday (against Lutheran South), and we knew today go could either way."
Helias scored the first four points of the second set, but Lutheran South answered with the next four points.
The set would be a back-and-forth battle with 12 ties, but the Lady Lancers took a two-point lead at 15-13 after a block from Abigail Meyer.
The Lady Crusaders tied the set at 20 following an ace from Oldham, but Lutheran South got back-to-back kills from Emma Lind to hold them off and force a third set.
Lind had a match-high 14 kills and added 11 digs for the Lady Lancers. Livia Sandt finished with 19 assists and Natalie Robinson had 25 digs.
Helias libero Bradi Berhorst had a team-high 22 digs, while Oldham and Riley Bernskoetter finished with 18 and 12 assists, respectively. Oldham added 15 digs for a double-double.
Rockers chipped in nine kills and 18 digs. Otto had five kills and Henson added five blocks for the Lady Crusaders.
Helias, which finished the season with a 34-4-2 record, graduates five seniors but returns several key performers from this season's title run, including five juniors that were in Saturday's rotation.
One of those key returners is Rockers, who was an all-state player last season as a sophomore and led the Lady Crusaders with 243 kills this season.
As she left the court, Rockers received a hug from Bruns, Helias' team captain, and some inspirational words about her performance during the weekend.
"To come here and play the sport you love with your best friends, and to end up taking the whole thing, it was just so awesome," Rockers said, fighting back tears.