KSHSSA COVERED ELLINWOOD -- Ellinwood coach Greg Maxwell knows there’s no way to completely escape the pressure that comes with a winning streak reaching historic proportions. As the Eagles continued to pile up victories and draw attention for what has become the nation’s longest active high school volleyball winning streak at 89 matches, Maxwell felt the need to talk openly about the pressure that came with it. "We didn't make a big deal about it early on and then we kind of started to recognize some things,” Maxwell said. “We realizied it was pretty special. ‘Girls, the reality is, you should feel pressure because that's what elite teams do.’ “I can't take it away. There's nothing I can say. I can just prepare you. If you truly view it that way, you can enjoy this moment, and they are. They look at every opportunity as another chance to have fun on this court that they love so much.” Ellinwood has followed last year’s 47-0 championship season with a campaign that has dominant. The Eagles have dropped just one set to Little River, compared with three last season. The defending Class 2A champions (42-0) are five matches away from back-to-back perfect seasons. Ellinwood swept Republic County 25-15, 25-11 and Phillipsburg 25-7, 25-14 on its home court. The Eagles tied Concordia’s 89-match streak from 1997-99 for fourth on the state’s all-time list, trailing Nemaha Valley (137), Centralia (126) and Weskan (96). “The whole thing we've been pushing all year is showing up in every moment,” Maxwell said. “We put elite on our sign for a reason, and I'm talking about mindset. That's what it's about. These girls come to practice every day to work hard. They come into games with the confidence believing that they're going to be at that elite level.” The Eagles graduated Kyndal Moore and Regan Widener, who helped deliver the program’s first state championship with a 25-16, 25-21 victory over Valley Heights. Moore is at Emporia State and Widener at Fort Hays State. Ellinwood has kept rolling with a balanced offensive attack directed by veteran setters and outside hitters Mette Maxwell and Alyvia Batchman. Junior right-side hitter Brynn Widener leads the Eagles with 276 kills, followed by Maxwell with 225, junior middle hitter Ayla Ritchie with 214, Batchman with 194 and sophomore middle hitter Reagan Stickney with 164. “It's been awesome,” Maxwell said. “We knew we had kids who had really been pushing us in practice last year as JV players. They understand what their role. We give them confidence to know that they can play fearless with this group because everyone has their backs. That's a huge part of it.” Junior Maxwell (1,707) and senior Batchman (1,678) have surpassed the program’s career assist record. They have recorded 577 and 401 assists, respectively, this season. Maxwell said the experience of his setters and the hitters’ fundamentals have allowed the Eagles to keep expanding their offensive options. “They're so clean in their swings and they put so many balls in play that we really feel we can really push the speed issues and move across the net in so many different angles and different things that we're trying to accomplish,” he said. “Our setters are veterans, and they understand that there's that trust relationship between them and our hitters.” Senior libero Bennett Jacobs anchors the back row with 244 digs this season and a program-record 1,185 for her career. “She's phenomenal back there,” Maxwell said. “She digs balls in practice that our girls hit, and it makes her better every day. She shows up for matches, and she just gets about every one of them. She's a solid passer for us, a great leader.” Mette Maxwell has contributed 245 digs and Widener has 239, while Stickney leads the Eagles with 73 blocks and Ritchie has 60. Maxwell has also broken her own single-season school record with 115 aces. Ellinwood’s only dropped set came against four-time reigning Class 1A Div. I champion Little River on the opening night. The Eagles responded to a 25-23 first-set loss with 25-12 and 25-14 victories and have swept every match since. That stretch includes three 3-0 wins in best-of-five matches, one against Class 3A No. 1 Beloit. The Eagles captured their 10th consecutive regular-season and tournament titles. They have won 91 straight matches against league opponents. The seniors are unbeaten against league teams. Maxwell earned his 300th coaching victory this season. The state runner-up Ellinwood girls basketball team also reaching the Class 2A state championship game under Maxwell last March. That school pride was evident during Saturday’s sub-state final. When members of Ellinwood’s cross country team entered the gym between sets, the volleyball players took a moment to give the runners an ovation. “We have really, really focused on the pride element and just about that support of each one of them being each other's biggest fans,” Maxwell said. “And we expect them in our program to be the leaders in our school in that regard, whether it being in the hallway, in the classroom, any time that pride element is what it's all about.” Ellinwood opens state pool play against Rossville at 11 a.m. Thursday, with Wabaunsee and St. Mary’s Colgan also in its pool. As the Eagles pursue another perfect season, Maxwell’s message will remain the same. “Show up every day, show up every moment, every point,” he said.