By RANDY GONZALES

rgonzales@dailynews.net

The Weskan prep volleyball team has gotten older and wiser.

Coyote coach Shelly Cox hopes that serves her players well heading down the final stretch of the regular season.

Last year, a 37-4 Weskan squad lost to Hoxie in the sub-state finals, costing the Coyotes a trip to Hays for the Class 1A state tournament.

"I think they've matured since last year," Cox said. "We lost 25-23 both games (to Hoxie)." Revenge is not so much on the players' minds, since Weskan -- with many of the same players -- beat Hoxie in the sub-state finals in basketball last season to make state, and the Coyotes also beat Hoxie in the Gove County volleyball tournament early this season.

"It just motivated them, whole lot of desire," Cox said of last year's sub-state volleyball loss.

After finishing 37-5 last year, Weskan is 24-0 this season and ranked second in the state in Class 1A in the Kansas Volleyball Coaches Association poll.

The Coyotes' competition gets tougher down the stretch, starting with Tuesday's quadrangular at rival Sharon Springs, which also has Wheatland-Grinnell and Tribune-Greeley County.

"Next two weeks, we play some pretty tough teams," Cox said. "They're ready to play somebody."

Cox uses seven players. Middle hitter Raney Okeson, a 5-foot-9 senior, leads the team in kills, and 5-9 junior Payton Walker also is a middle hitter. Senior Cassondra Welsh is a setter, and 5-8 senior Danica Cox is an outside hitter. Hillary McKinney, a 6-0 sophomore, is a middle blocker. LaKoya Steele, a 5-7 sophomore, is the team's utility player, Cox said, and can play anywhere. Another outside hitter is 5-8 freshman Jori Mote.

Familiarity breeds content for the Coyotes.

"It's the same group of girls, small school, they've grown up together, played together forever," Cox said. "Bunch of like-minded girls who get along pretty well."

The players know other teams are gunning for them.

"It's not something we focus on," Cox said of the ranking and perfect record. "They know they have a bull's-eye on their back."

Weskan won state titles in 1995 and 1996. Cox was an assistant coach for those teams. Many of the players on this year's squad are younger sisters of players on those title-winning teams.

"We don't talk about it a lot," Cox said of her team's goals. "Ultimately, they want to hang a banner."