Vilseck libero Jayslin Santellano goes to the floor in a match against Stuttgart in round-robin play of the Division I DODEA European championships on Oct. 31, 2024, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – SHAPE coach Kate Maxson hears praise all the time from coaches about how far the Spartans have come during her close to two years in charge.

Yet that growth hadn’t shown in the standings.

So, when the Spartans stepped into the gym at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Thursday for the start of the Division I DODEA European championships, Maxson challenged her players to do more than get moral victories.

“All I can ask when you are the underdog is to take the other teams by surprise,” she said. “I told them all, ‘Why not us? We’re there, everyone’s noticing us and let’s capitalize on the fact that we can play volleyball.”

SHAPE finally converted that development into wins Thursday – and at just the right time.

The Spartans went 2-1 on Thursday, notching victories over Lakenheath and Vilseck after dropping the opening match of the day to Ramstein.

Even in the loss against the Royals, SHAPE didn’t go down quietly, pushing them in the first set 25-23 before falling in the second 25-18.

The results have SHAPE occupying one of the semifinal spots heading into the back half of the round robin after entering as the sixth seed.

“I didn’t expect it, honestly,” senior Sofia Tryon said of the team’s 2-1 start to round-robin play. “Last year was a pretty rough season. This year … everyone has contributed so incredibly well.”

The biggest win came against the Falcons, who entered the tournament as the fourth seed and a favorite to make at least a semifinal.

After dropping the first set 25-16, SHAPE rebounded by squeaking out the other sets 25-23 and 15-12. Tryon said the Spartans adjusted their lineup, and that proved crucial.

“The first set, we realized what their strengths and weaknesses were, and we capitalized on those,” Tryon said.

The road to the semifinals won’t get any easier for SHAPE. The team must navigate the tournament’s top two seeds in Kaiserslautern and Stuttgart and then the fifth seed in Wiesbaden on Friday.

Kaiserslautern senior Bianca Ocampo digs out a ball during a match against Stuttgart in round-robin play of the Division I DODEA European championships on Oct. 31, 2024, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein players celebrate beating Kaiserslautern in round-robin play of the Division I DODEA European championships on Oct. 31, 2024, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein middle blocker Isabella Johnson hits the ball against Kaiserslautern's Mariska Campbell in round-robin play of the Division I DODEA European championships on Oct. 31, 2024, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Stuttgart senior Mia Snyder serves during a match against Vilseck in round-robin play of the Division I DODEA European championships on Oct. 31, 2024, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

SHAPE outside hitter Sofia Tryon jumps to hit the ball during a match against Ramstein in round-robin play of the Division I DODEA European championships on Oct. 31, 2024, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

At the end of the first day, it wasn’t the Raiders or Panthers who stood atop the round robin standings. That distinction went to Ramstein.

The Royals were the only team to go unblemished Thursday. They followed up the win over SHAPE with a three-set victory over Vilseck 25-9, 23-25, 15-10.

Then, Ramstein recovered from a rough first set to defeat crosstown rival Kaiserslautern in another three-set thriller 16-25, 25-20, 15-12.

Anytime the Raiders and Royals meet, the atmosphere is electric. But senior libero Emma Inthavixay said the match had added significance knowing the winner would have a leg up on getting the top seed in the semifinals.

“We knew that K-Town was going to want to bring it and want to win it just as bad as us,” she said. “We brought a lot of energy and fought hard.”

Ramstein still has Stuttgart – which at 1-2 will need to roar back to get into semifinal contention – and Wiesbaden to play, but with the way the Division I competition has shaped up, just one win will be enough to get into the semifinals, and maybe even two could clinch the top spot.

“We’re ready to take on tomorrow,” sophomore middle blocker Ella Yost said. “We can’t get too down on ourselves and stay out of our heads. If we can do that, we can win.”

The Warriors also carried on the upset trend to join Kaiserslautern and SHAPE at 2-1.

Wiesbaden beat Lakenheath 25-10, 25-14, but the piece de resistance was a back-and-forth, exciting win over Stuttgart 25-23, 22-25, 21-19.

The match didn’t seem like it was going to end. Both squads survived multiple match points for their opponents before the Warriors finally put the match to bed.

“We didn’t need the win, but (our coach Tariq Zangana) said it would help us,” senior outside hitter Bridget Pidgeon said. “That really motivated us to put in our best effort.”

Ramstein junior Nataliya Roa dives for a ball during a match against SHAPE in round-robin play of the Division I DODEA European championships on Oct. 31, 2024, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein senior Cara Arnold sets the ball during a match against SHAPE in round-robin play of the Division I DODEA European championships on Oct. 31, 2024, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Kaiserslautern’s Rozlynn Onnen spikes the ball as Stuttgart’s Brooklyn Biles, left, and Hannah Holmes jump in defense in round-robin play of the Division I DODEA European championships on Oct. 31, 2024, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Lakenheath libero Natalie Cook, left, and sophomore Zoe Bovastro go for a ball in a match against Wiesbaden in round-robin play of the Division I DODEA European championships on Oct. 31, 2024, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden junior Abigail Nirola serves during a match against Stuttgart in round-robin play of the Division I DODEA European championships on Oct. 31, 2024, at Southside Fitness Center on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Overall, the teams and players were pleased with the high level of volleyball and finding ways to add to the joy. The Warriors, for example, put on a dance battle during one timeout.

“Our team is really good at getting hype,” Pidgeon said. “This whole day has been super fun.”