Thompson Valley claims 3rd 4A girls volleyball title in 4 years

DENVER – A year ago, the Thompson Valley volleyball team left the Denver Coliseum with a sour taste after finishing as the state runner-up to Class 4A champion Palmer Ridge.

Saturday night, the Eagles made things right, finishing an undefeated run through the state tournament with a three-set sweep of Lutheran to claim the program’s third state title in four years.

“We were mad about last year,” Thompson Valley coach Les Thorne said. “We were mad about not being able to finalize it last year. What an unbelievable accomplishment for these girls. It’s really great to see them through. It’s all about them.”

After losing the first set in their second-round match against Windsor on Thursday, the top-seeded Eagles didn’t drop another one. They won the last three against Windsor, then swept Mead in the third round and then Windsor again in the semifinals to set up a championship match against Lutheran.

In the final match, the Eagles took the first set, 25-20. The other two weren’t that close. Thompson Valley won the second, 25-12 and the third 25-14.

When the final Lutheran shot went out past the back of the end line, the Eagles celebrated, just as they did in 2021 and 2022. But after coming up short last year, this one meant a little more.

“I just love these girls so much,” Thompson Valley senior Avery Gibbs said. “It’s an honor having the opportunity to play with them the last four years. Three out of four is pretty cool, so I’m just really proud of everybody and it’s just surreal right now.”

Thompson Valley finished the season with only one loss, and it came against 5A No. 1 Chapparal. During the regular season, the Eagles lost only nine sets all year on their way to a 28-1 record, the best in school history.
All along, the goal was to get back to the Coliseum and take back what they felt had been taken from them last year.
“Honestly, I think we’re just grateful to get it back,” senior Kayla Kauffman said. “Obviously last year, we didn’t have the greatest turnout, and now we have it back. So, I think we’re just relieved.”

For the senior class, that includes all-time career assists leader Ashlyn Tafoya as well as previous all-state selections Gibbs, Kauffman and Tatum Sharp, a legacy will be left in the form of four trophies from the state tournament, three of them championship ones.