JASONVILLE — Anyone who has watched Shakamak High School’s volleyball team play this season can easily figure out why the Lady Lakers are 22-3.

Hustle. Determination. Teamwork.

The never-say-die attitude has catapulted the team to a Class A seventh-place ranking, and the favorite heading into this week’s Class A White River Valley Sectional.

The team’s motto this year is “Dig or Die.” Meaning, never give up on any ball.

“When we do struggle it’s usually just late reaction time,” senior Peyton Gambill said. “Or us just like giving up on a ball from time to time.

“So (the motto) is just a reminder, go after every ball and don’t give up. It kind of originated from a joke. We had a themed practice, and someone had it written on their arm as a joke and it just kind of stuck.”

the lady lakers finished the season 7-0 in the swiAC.

Senior Brylee Faulk, who has committed to play next season at Murray State University, said the Dig or Die motto has helped drive the Lady Lakers to success each match.

“It doesn’t matter what situation it is, (Dig or Die) definitely means we have a mentality like that. I think it changes the whole game.

“When you have that mentality, ‘Ok you’re going to win’ ... nobody wants to lose, and once you’ve got that drive, and you know that fire is within you, it definitely helps.”

Emeral Goff, a 2003 Union High School graduate, is in her eight season as Shakamak’s coach. She has compiled a 113-101 overall record, including an 81-46 mark the last four years. They’ve won the last three sectional titles.

The coach said the program was “really low” when she took over, and there weren’t a lot of girls who came out for volleyball. But she went to work in the lower grades — elementary and junior high — to get students interested in volleyball and be ready by the time they reached high school.

“Not a whole lot of girls came out for volleyball. There wasn’t a feeder program going on. Basically, we had to get these girls to be where they can be successful,” Goff explained. “The last eight years we’ve been trying to build the feeder program to get these girls to where they are now, and (this year’s) senior group has been probably one of the first groups ... they started in junior high and sixth grade, getting going in club ball and stuff like that.”

Goff added that getting the program built with so many quality teams in the area wasn’t easy.

“It takes a long time to get where you want to be in high school because there are so many good programs around our area. They start so young.”

Goff credits her players, starting with her first season, for growing and improving. That growth has carried over from class to class and paid off in a lot of success.

“We’ve had more wins each year. I don’t like watching the seniors leave, because they do so much,” Goff said. “It’s hard to see them go.”

She shares with her returning players each year, for them to continue to grow, they need to hone their skills in the off-season.

“If you stick with it and you keep working in the off- season, when you come in for the season ... we’re going to grow. And we have grown every single season. It’s hard to lose our seniors, but every year I feel like these other younger girls are coming in and they’re growing, and we just continue to be successful. They see the potential.”

The Lady Lakers’ list of team and individual accomplishments this season is impressive:

West Vigo Invitational champions.
Princeton Tigers Invitational champions.
SWIAC champions (7-0).
A Class A seventh-place ranking going into sectional play.
Gambill broke the 1,000-career dig plateau.
Junior Ava Landry broke the 1,000-career assist level.
Faulk is the first Shakamak player to reach 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs for a career.
Goff achieved her 100th career victory at Shakamak.

Faulk and Gambill agree that the closeness of the team has played a key role in the Lady Lakers’ success.

“Being from a small school, it’s not just about players being amazing and having the skills. It’s more about the chemistry and bond we have as a team,” Faulk stressed. “I would say here, especially because you know when we step out on the court, we’re teammates, yeah, but aside from that we’re pretty much all best friends.

“So, you know the chemistry that we have, that we bring on the court, it is definitely an important aspect. That helps us obviously. And, you know, all of us have that drive to win and that drive really helps us all be on the same page and want the same goals.”

Gambill agrees and says the closeness has been there from the start of the season and before.

“This team is so special because we’re like super close on and off the court. You can definitely tell we are united as one,” Gambill explained. “It really shows on the court too because we’re always excited for one another. Us being friends off the court is like the biggest reason why we’ve been so successful.”

The Lady Lakers are favored to win their fourth sectional championship in a row. They will play Clay City (11-8) in the WRV Sectional quarterfinals on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m.

The complete bracket:

Match 1: Dugger Union vs. Bloomfield.
Match 2: White River Valley vs. North Central (Farmersburg).
Match 3: Shakamak vs. Clay City.
Match 4: Cloverdale vs. Seven Oaks.
Match 5: M1 winner vs. M2 winner.
Match 6: M3 winner vs. M4 winner.
Championship: M5 winner vs. M6 winner.

Shakamak and Clay City played twice during the regular season, and the Lady Lakers won both matches.

Shakamak’s three losses this season were to bigger schools — Terre Haute North, Edgewood, and Sullivan.

Though the Lady Lakers have had a lot of sectional success, they’ve yet to win a regional. That’s the goal of this year’s team. But first, they must win the sectional.

“We want the chance to get past the regional this year, but to get that chance and make it further, we have to win the sectional. And that’s not always easy,” Goff explained. “To reach that goal, the ultimate goal, that first step is the sectional.”

And Goff understands in any match, the favored team can fall if it’s not prepared.

“It’s a whole clean slate now. Our record doesn’t matter. Where we line up in the state (rankings) does not matter. Every team going in wants to win the sectional, and when they come out most teams play their best game at sectional,” Goff stressed.

The veteran coach said it’s not easy to beat a team three times in the same season, especially a conference team and a neighboring school.

“We’ve already played Clay City twice and now we’re going in and playing them a third time. I know it’s going to be a tough, tough match and they want it just as bad as we do. We’ve got to play at our (best).”

Faulk, who is expected to play the libero position (a back-row defensive specialist) for Murray State, and her teammates have put in a lot of time to have the opportunity to make a long state tournament run.

“I knew I wanted to play volleyball from a younger age. My mom played in high school and she was pretty good at it. My love (for volleyball) kind of sparked from her, and she got me involved,” Faulk explained.

“(Her love for the game) just built up and I started climbing up the ladder and you know I felt like, OK maybe I look like this is fun to me. Maybe I could go somewhere because it’s a passion.

“I wanted to do better, so I started pushing myself and was determined ... To be better, and to obviously get better, that takes a lot (of time). It’s taken up a lot of my life. I mean I’m playing volleyball year-round and I hardly get a break. But when you have a goal like this, it’s kind of hard not to dedicate yourself to it.”

The winner of the WRV Sectional will play the winner of the Loogootee Sectional in the regional opener. Four Loogootee Sectional teams have winning records — Shoals (23-3), North Daviess (21-9), Loogootee (19-9), and Lighthouse Christian (17-5).

Shakamak defeated North Daviess 3-1 during the regular season, and Lighthouse Christian 3-0.