As soon as last season’s Class 4A State Finals loss to Muncie Central ended, Floyd Central immediately began making plans to get back to state for the third straight year in 2009.

What the Highlanders didn’t know at the time is that they would be joined by one of the state’s best offensive players. Senior Laura Der transferred from Providence to Floyd during the summer and has lifted the Floyd Central program to another level, a level that had the Highlander ranked No. 1 for much of the season.

“She plays hard all of the time, every single play,” Floyd Central coach Bart Powell said. “She has no fear. Obviously, we aren’t where we are today without her. She’s hard to stop.”

With Der, Floyd Central will face top-ranked Elkhart Memorial in the first round of Saturday’s state finals round. With a win, the Highlanders play either No. 2 Muncie Central or No. 4 Center Grove for the first volleyball state championship in school history.

QUESTION: How well have you fit in at Floyd Central?

DER: It has definitely been a good change. Everyone is like a family here and everyone accepted me right away. I was so scared coming in the first day of conditioning and summer workouts. I thought, “Oh, my gosh, they’re going to hate me. They’re going to think that I’m all that.” But they weren’t like that at all. They’ve treated me like I’ve been a part of this team for years and I definitely fit in very well.

Q: How bad do you feel that Providence may have won a regional and possibly a state championship if you had stayed there?

DER: I feel bad because they’ve done really well and everything, but it wasn’t my choice to leave, at all. I can’t feel too bad about it, because I’d still be there if I could. I switched here and now my loyalty is here. Providence is a great team and I miss them all, but I kind of had to move on and leave all of that.

Q: How weird was it playing against them?

DER: I usually don’t get nervous at all, but I was really nervous. That game, I wanted to beat them so badly, and the Providence fans were yelling at me. It was crazy. It was a crazy experience not being in the white, but being on the other side. It was a good game. They played well, but it was fun being the victors.

Q: The fans from Floyd Central were chanting your name during the Providence game. How cool was that, especially being at a new school?

DER: It was awesome. They had t-shirts that spelled out “D-E-R.” It just made me feel really welcome to hear (the student section) was behind us. It was fun to here it on the court, “Der, Der, Der!” It was so motivational to be able to hear that.

Q: I’ve never seen a player on the floor as often as I saw you on the floor on Saturday. Is that something that’s always been part of your game?

DER: I never mean to. It’s just the way I play. It’s like, “There goes Laura.” My teammates say that I hit the floor so hard that they hear it before they see it. It’s just the mentality I have. I’m not going to let the ball hit the floor, no matter if I have to dive 45 feet. You can see from all the bruises I have, that’s the way I play, but it’s worth it.

Q: That was my next question. Are you sore after every game?

DER: Not muscularly, so much. My body hurts. Banged elbows, banged knees. I just play through it. It’s really not a big deal any more.

Q: You just won a regional. That’s old news for Floyd Central.

DER: It was my first regional.

Q: That was my question. Even though it’s old for them, what was the feeling like for you personally to win a regional?

DER: Just winning the first round of regional, I hadn’t even done that. That was an awesome feeling to go to the regional final. Coach kept saying, “We’ve got to get you a title.” Especially after the last game and getting some kills at the end, knowing that I helped the team, it was the best feeling in the world.

Q: Now you have a chance to go out as a champion. What are your expectations for Saturday?

DER: We expect a lot out of each other. I think as long as we play together as a team, like we did in the Columbus (East) game (in the regional championship), and play like we’ve been playing, I expect to bring back home the ring. That’s what we’re all pushing for.