What she once thought of as a birthright has become something worth cherishing for Bethlehem Academy outside hitter Payton Schultz.

A key member of the Cardinals’ volleyball juggernaut since seventh grade, Schultz, now a senior, is one step away from another state championship after her team defeated Martin County West 25-22, 25-15, 25-17 in the Class 1A semifinals on Friday at Xcel Energy Center.

The Cardinals have won six state championships since 2002. Schultz was a member of the three of those teams, in 2009, 2011 and 2012.

A knee injury sidelined her last season and she fractured her left arm midway through this season, leaving her volleyball career in doubt.

“When we didn’t win it in 2010, I thought, ‘What? This doesn’t happen every year?’ ” Schultz said. “But now, this means so much. I thought I might never get the chance to play again.”

Coach Franz Boelter has been carefully doling out minutes to Schultz. But she played so well Friday that he let her stay in the lineup a little longer than he originally intended.

“I probably played her more than I should have, but s She’s one of the best defenders in the state, hands down,” Boelter said. “She was the game-changer today.”

She finished with 5 kills and 6 digs. Not huge numbers, but they came in crucial moments.

“I was a little shy early, but after few points, that all went away,’’ Schultz said with a broad smile. “This means everything to me.”

JIM PAULSEN

Fourteen-year coach Katie Gervais last helped pilot Tracy-Milroy-Balaton to a state championship 10 years ago. The Panthers (28-9) are one step from returning after defeating upstart Mayer Lutheran 25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 25-14.

The Panthers started hot, battled in the middle sets and broke through in the match-clinching fourth set to put the Crusaders (19-16) away for good. Outside hitter Sydney Lanoue, a ninth-grader, led the Panthers with 21 kills.

“I think we started to let down a bit during that second (set), but both our front court and back court came back and just fought so hard to win that third set,” Lanoue said.

Gervais said early match nerves were overcome by tremendous team play in an intense third set, which the Panthers rallied to win after trailing 18-14.

“The girls knew they needed to refocus and be more aggressive in that fourth set,” Gervais said, “and that’s when we started serving and receiving better. The girls showed a lot of resilience there.”

HANK LONG