Never again can the Normangee volleyball program be compared to Sisyphus, the figure from Greek mythology who kept pushing a boulder up a hill only to watch it roll back down for eternity.

The Lady Panthers pushed that rock over the top and all the way to the state tournament.

Normangee ended three years of frustration by beating District 26-A rival Iola in five games at the Class A Region III tournament final in Tyler on Saturday. The Lady Panthers (31-10) earned their first berth in the UIL Volleyball Championships and will play in the state semifinals against second-ranked Louise (39-4) at 9 a.m. Friday in San Marcos.

Five schools will be making their first appearance at the state tournament this weekend, including Lindsay (35-10), which will play Bronte (39-5) in the second Class A semifinal at 11 a.m.

It's doubtful that any of the other newcomers arrive with a redemption story to match Normangee. The Lady Panthers reached the regional championship in each of the last three seasons, coming within one match of state before losing to Iola each year.

Normangee got over that huge hill with a 13-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-16, 15-13 victory over its arch-rival.

Hillaree Hodges, one of the Normangee seniors who endured the three regional final losses, scored the last point with a block.

"I jumped up and down and was screaming," Hodges said. "I saw parents coming down from the bleachers, and I was hugging all my teammates. I felt so good, I wanted to hug my teammates and tell them good job."

Coming so close in the past made qualifying for state even better for the Lady Panthers, especially since it came against the team that had denied them over and over.

"To meet the same opponent for the fourth consecutive time, it put that much more pressure on them," Normangee head coach Tami Dean said. "For them to finally accomplish that, it probably means more than most people realize.

"Like their playoff shirts said, they had something to prove. In the past there's been a lot of talk in the community and thoughts in their own minds that when it came time for the tough game, the close match one step away, that we didn't have what it took to get there. They decided this year that they wanted to prove that they could do it."

Normangee's outside hitters are Bayleigh Biddle and Hodges. The Lady Panthers attackers include right side hitter Rebekah Isbell and middle blockers Jill Riley and Charla Lopez. Samantha Corgey runs the offense as setter, with Leah Munsey at libero. Defensive specialists are Laci Seelye, Jaqua Wilson and Kelsey Parker.

Hodges delivered 19 kills in the regional final, while Biddle had 13. Corgey dished out 37 assists, and Munzy made 12 digs.

"We had so many people that weren't really behind us and didn't think we could do it," Hodges said. "I think it just added more to what we were feeling. I just knew the whole time that we could do it. We clicked better this year. We had the drive."

Now that they've gotten past the regional, will the Lady Panthers be satisfied? Or will they strive to get that boulder to the top of the mountain?

"It's one of the first things I talked to them about [after winning the regional]," Dean said. "Our motto since Monday morning has been don't be satisfied just with state. We've got to for it. They've worked too hard to get there. They know how easy it is to be that close and not make it."