ARVADA — All they do is win.
Valor Christian’s girls volleyball team extended its winning streak to 47 matches Wednesday night with a 3-0 road victory at Ralston Valley.
“It has been awesome,” Valor senior Delaney Russell said of the win streak that covers that last two seasons. “We are grateful for every win we get. We work hard for every single one. We hope to carry it out.”
Valor coach Jayne McHugh — Arvada West High School graduate and 2000 Jeffco Athletic Hall of Fame inductee — has the Eagles on pace to defend its 5A state title coming up next month.
Valor has only lost two sets in 18 matches this season. The Eagles dropped only four sets last season during their remarkable 29-0 undefeated record.
The victory over Ralston Valley (13-5, 5-1 in Class 5A Jeffco league) also clinched the third straight conference title for Valor.
Photo by Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Public Schools
“They are harder to come by every year,” McHugh said of the Eagles (18-0, 6-0) winning their third straight league crown. “Everyone plays their best match against Valor, but these kids don’t know how to quit.”
The Eagles certainly don’t know how to lose. Valor has won 21 straight 5A Jeffco matches dating back to the Fall 2021 season. Ralston Valley actually handed Valor it last conference loss back on April 21, 2021 during the COVID year where the Fall 2020 season was pushed to the Spring of 2021.
“It is so exciting,” Valor junior Kenzey McGatlin said of the Eagles winning another league title. “To be able to be undefeated still and work as a team.”
Valor graduated six seniors from its state championship last season, but the likes of Russell, McGatlin, seniors Grace Langer, Farrah Eike, along with junior setter Chloe Elarton has the Eagles No. 1 in the 5A volleyball CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index.
“They are just different,” McHugh said when asked to compare this season to last year’s undefeated 5A state championship team. “They are different individuals coming together, but the common thread is how much they love each other.”
Valor dominated the first two sets against Ralston Valley. The Eagles won 25-9 and 25-11 to jump out to a 2-0 set lead. The Mustangs did battle back in their final home match of the season, but Russell came up with a handful of kills in the third set to give the Eagles a lift in a 25-18 win.
“She (Russell) works so hard on technical things because she knows she isn’t a 6-foot-3 outside hitter,” McHugh said of Russell who has played libero primarily for Valor for four seasons.
The Eagles have one more conference game on the road against Chatfield on Tuesday, Oct. 24, before really starting to focus on another postseason run.
“It is about staying consistent in practice,” McGatlin said about preparing for the playoffs. “The harder we work in practice — and we always stay on top of that — we can still play lower teams and play them just as hard because the work we put in during practice. It is going to show at state.”
Ralston Valley was No. 13 in the seeding index before the loss. The Mustangs close out their league schedule at Columbine on Tuesday, Oct. 24.
