Alan Community College defeated Highland Wednesday to advance to the Plains Regional championship against Cowley, which hasn't lost a match in two years. Allen and Cowley will meet for the crown Saturday in Wichita.

Allen Community College?s Red Devils were primed to put on a show in the volleyball team?s first home playoff match in 17 years.

Boy, did they ever.

The Red Devils bested Highland Wednesday in a four-set thriller to kick off the Plains District Tournament.

The match had a little bit of everything, from extended rallies sparked by dynamic saves and thunderous kills from both teams, and a touch of controversy over the pressure-packed two hours.

Allen?s Juliyanis Roman had the final salvo, a cannon shot to the far corner, to finish off Allen?s 3-1 win, 25-17, 19-25, 25-21 and 25-23.

She collapsed in a heap, overcome with emotion, as she was mobbed by her teammates and a vocal student cheer section.

?The atmosphere was so good, and we were able to take advantage,? Red Devil head coach Maria Aikins said. ?That?s college volleyball.?

The victory moves Allen to Saturday?s championship match at Friends University in Wichita against a familiar, and quite powerful foe.

Allen (26-8) will take on defending national champion Cowley (35-0).

THERE WERE plenty of good things to enjoy in the Highland match.

The Red Devils raced to a quick 15-10 lead in the first set, before Highland responded, eventually tying it at 15-15.

But Allen asserted itself from there.

Audrey Peek?s lucky-bounce ace serve, which hit the top of the net and rolled over and dropped on Highland?s side of the court, got things rolling. Alysa Ladson pounded home a pair of kills, Josie Weers had another and Chloe Curl stuffed a Highland shot at the net as part of an 8-0 run to take control. Curl?s kill finished off the 25-17 set victory.?

?Our girls came out with some fire,? Aikins said. ?I?m really proud of them for staying level-headed. The girls did really well relying on each other.?

Highland responded emphatically, racing out to a 17-10 lead in the second set. Allen drew no closer than five down the stretch and fell 25-19.

The momentum shifted back to the Red Devils in the third set, with the Red Devils taking the lead for good at 13-11 on consecutive Highland errors. The Scotties twice were within a point before Weers ended the 25-21 set win with back-to-back kills.

THINGS got a little crazy in the fourth and final set.

Highland rattled off a 7-1 run to lead 15-11, with its hopes of forcing a fifth-set tiebreaker growing ever brighter.

But Allen responded with a 7-1 run of its own, including a pair of extended rallies that had fans of both teams on the edges of their seats. Larimore had a key block during the stretch. Ladson added a pair of kills to push ACC ahead, 18-16.

Curl followed with two kills and a block to put the Red Devils ahead 22-18.

Highland scored two in a row, making it 22-20, before Allen?s Isabella Simione-Lagos, who nearly had to exit the match because of heat exhaustion, stayed in the game, and pushed a kill down the line to make it 23-20.

Highland?s Jaala Stewart smacked a kill to the opposite side of the court, thinking she?d trimmed Allen?s lead to 23-21. However, it was ruled out of bounds, and the Scotties fans howled for a replay review.

However, the wifi service in the Allen gymnasium was down for much of the match, rendering reviews impossible.

Highland head coach Andrea Keller could only shrug her shoulders as the officials let the call stand.

?I understand her frustration,? Aikins said. ?I?d be pretty fired up, too, if I was Andrea. I can definitely empathize.?

It was one of several bang-bang plays that might have changed the course of the match had replay been available.

?The calls are really close, especially in games like that,? Aikins said. ?I could see it going back and forth with some really tough calls.?

Aikins?s message to her players was to avoid the potential distractions.

?There is only one thing you can control, and that?s yourself,? Aikins said. ?We did a good job of staying together and staying united. Everybody played to the best of their abilities.?

Highland still made things interesting, scoring three straight points to close within 24-23, before Roman ended the affair with her kill shot.

?You?ve gotta give credit to Highland,? Aikins said. ?They?re a scrappy team and are very well coached. Andrea does a great job of bringing in girls and making adjustments.?

The Red Devils racked up 53 kills in the match, led by Weers with 16, Ladson with 13, Roman with 10 and Curl with eight. Simione-Lagoa had 42 assists and four kills. Peek wound up with four ace serves.

Larimore?s seven blocks included four solo and three assisted blocks. Weers and Curl added two blocks apiece.

SATURDAY?S championship match with Cowley will be at the Friends University campus in Wichita, and will start at 2:30 p.m.

The winner will advance to the NJCAA-II National Tournament Nov. 20-23 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Allen (26-8) was the only conference foe to hand Cowley a set loss this season, when the Tigers defeated ACC 3-1 (26-28, 25-12, 25-18 and 25-15) on Sept. 11.

Cowley is riding a 76-match winning streak, including winning the 2023 national tournament.

?We will control what we can,? Aikins said. ?All I told the girls is we expect them to give their best effort. If we keep playing like this, and we give our best effort, good things will happen.?