Ansbach senior Victoria Ortiz sets the ball for teammate Kennedy Lange during the 2025 DODEA-Europe Division III volleyball championship match against Spangdahlem on Nov. 8, 2025, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – The Ansbach players flashed four fingers as they posed for photos on the court at Ramstein High School on Saturday morning.

The Cougars just had swept Spangdahlem 25-20, 25-18, 25-20 in the Division III final at the 2025 DODEA European girls volleyball championships. That victory gave them their fourth straight European crown, a rare feat not lost on the team.

That’s especially true for Kennedy Lange. The senior and tournament MVP is the lone Cougar to play on all four title-winning squads.

“It’s something very few people get to experience, so I feel very lucky,” Lange said. “I’ve gotten to play with four completely different teams with different assets.”

Despite having a new makeup, the expectations in and around the Cougars this year were the same – complete the four-peat.

It wasn’t hard to see why: Lange has been an All-European player nearly her entire high school career, and Ansbach hadn’t lost a single league match in the previous three seasons.

The Cougars continued the undefeated streak, not even losing a set during the 2025 tournament.

“A lot of people told us to bring it home, but for us, we had to take it one step at a time,” said senior Victoria Ortiz, who’s been with the club since her sophomore campaign. “Getting here, it feels so accomplishing, so achieving. It’s surreal, honestly.”

At the beginning of Saturday’s match, though, it was the Sentinels who came out firing on all cylinders.

Spangdahlem jumped out to a 15-9 lead, thanks to some aggressive serving. The second seed recorded five aces over that span, with Emily Castano leading the way on back-to-back serves. Maxine Diaz produced one of her four aces to complete the quick start.

The Cougars showed their championship pedigree after that point, though. They rattled off eight of the next nine points and finished the set on a 16-5 run.

Ansbach didn’t stop there. After taking a 20-19 lead in the first set, it didn’t trail the rest of the match.

“We told ourselves when we get knocked down, we have to get back up,” Ortiz said. “We can’t let anyone take that from us, that energy that momentum, that joy.”

Ansbach's Aubrey Chaffey hits the ball as Spangdahlem's Mykayla Figueroa during the 2025 DODEA-Europe Division III volleyball championship match on Nov. 8, 2025, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ansbach senior Kennedy Lange reaches up to block an attack by Spangdahlem's Mykayla Figueroa during the 2025 DODEA-Europe Division III volleyball championship match on Nov. 8, 2025, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ansbach’s Bailey Eickmeyer bumps the ball at the net during the 2025 DODEA-Europe Division III volleyball championship match against Spangdahlem on Nov. 8, 2025, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Spangdahlem's Summer Mundy leaps to hit a ball during the 2025 DODEA-Europe Division III volleyball championship match against Ansbach on Nov. 8, 2025, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Spangdahlem's Mykayla Figueroa, center left, and Alyssa Farmakis attempt to block an attack from Ansbach's Aubrey Chaffey during the 2025 DODEA-Europe Division III volleyball championship match on Nov. 8, 2025, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Spangdahlem's Emily Castano serves during the 2025 DODEA-Europe Division III volleyball championship match against Ansbach on Nov. 8, 2025, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Spangdahlem libero Aniya Robinson bumps the ball as teammate Emily Castano, right, watches during the 2025 DODEA-Europe Division III volleyball championship match on Nov. 8, 2025, at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Lange and Ortiz seemed to have plenty of joy on the day.

The senior duo has split setting duties throughout the year as well as getting in their hits in the Cougars’ 6-2 formation. The offense seemed to flow through Lange’s setting earlier in the match before she started taking a few whacks later.

Lange finished with seven kills and 10 assists, while Ortiz had three kills and four assists.

“It’s been building over the past three years,” Lange said of her connection with Ortiz. “This year, it just progressed even further, being the leaders of the team.”

Sophomore newcomer Aubrey Chaffey also left her mark on the match, blocking five Spangdahlem attacks – including four for points.

Summer Mundy paced the Sentinels with seven kills, while senior setter Lexi Lauer totaled 14 assists.

Spangdahlem coach Daniel Williams praised his players’ good start to the match, but the squad couldn’t let up against a squad of Ansbach’s caliber.

“Any time you get two good competitors head-to-head, the minute you stall, the other takes over. The minute you commit errors, the other fills the gap,” Williams said.

“We played the best volleyball we could. It’s not the goal that we wanted, but we’re still proud of the team, proud of the progress we made.”

Any talk of a five-peat in Ansbach is premature. Of the eight Cougars on this year’s tournament roster, four are seniors – Lange, Ortiz, Elizabeth Agudzi-Addo and Mya Henderson – and another is moving out of the district.

Ortiz is bullish after the program’s future. After all, coach Christa Becherer took over the varsity squad this year for Deborah Keller-Mitchell, and the Cougars didn’t miss a beat.

“We’re a volleyball community,” Ortiz said. “When coach Deb left last year, we’re such a strong community that – not that it didn’t matter – but we were able to build ourselves up.”