Fresh off a grueling five set win over top ranked Palmer Ridge, Class 4A #2 Cheyenne Mountain jumps right back into the league fray on the road to Pine Creek. That contest and the second league battle between #6 Rampart (5A) and Liberty headline the very light Wednesday Top 10 volleyball schedule.
The win kept Cheyenne Mountain unbeaten overall and alone atop the conference standings by one game over Rampart. The Indians have a five-set win over Rampart earlier this year so a win this evening will give them the league championship. Emma Delich finished with 20 kills and Karlee Pinell 17 in last night’s win. Pinell also had five aces. Jessie Duystchaever served up a team high six aces and also led the Indians with 48 assists. Madison Fox recorded 16 diggs. Riley Anderson (15) and Madison Wilson (14) combined for 29 kills for Palmer Ridge.
If Cheyenne Mountain gains the win, then the outcome between Rampart and Liberty could determine second. Rampart gains the berth with a win but a loss creates a three-way tie between the Rams, Lancers and Palmer Ridge. Liberty would then gain the edge as they also toppled Palmer Ridge in conference play.
Tierney Barlow leads Liberty in kills (186) and diggs (115). Allie Rice has a club 323 assists and Kori Garnhart has notched 113 diggs. Riley Simpson, with 81 kills in five matches, paces Rampart in hitting and is second with 50 diggs. Parker Hamel leads Rampart in that category (57) and Izzy Starck has 167 assists against just five errors.
Up in Class 5A, Cherry Creek and Cherokee Trail both look for wins to maintain their tie atop the Centennial. The Bruins and Cougars split two conference matches so it’s a good bet they will end up sharing the league crown at seasons’ end.
The top 10 schedule for Wednesday is below. Colorado Preps also lists and previews a few additional matches that have a bearing on league races.
CLASS 3A
FINAL: #1 Eaton beat Valley 3-1
FINAL: Discovery Canyon beat #10 Colorado Springs Christian 3-0
CLASS 4A
FINAL: Pine Creek beat #1 Cheyenne Mountain 3-2
FINAL: #3 Windsor beat Riverdale Ridge 3-0
FINAL: #6 Thompson Valley beat Severance 3-0
FINAL: Bayfield beat #8 Durango 3-1
CLASS 5A
#2 Cherry Creek vs Smoky Hill
FINAL: #4 Cherokee Trail beat Arapahoe 3-1
FINAL: #6 Rampart beat Liberty 3-0
OUTSIDE THE RANKINGS
FINAL: Cotopaxi beat South Park 3-0
FINAL: Holy Family beat Erie 3-2
FINAL: Denver East beat Lincoln 3-0
FINAL: Fort Collins beat Loveland 3-0
NOTES: Cotopaxi can clinch the West Central title and earn a playoff berth in the 1A bracket by beating South Park tonight. The Pirates are 2-0 in conference and a win gives them a clean sweep against league competition. That result would also likely prevent the league from getting any clubs into the 2A playoffs as South Park, Custer County and Cripple Creek are all outside the top 24 in our most recent composite volleyball standings.
Holy Family and Erie is a key matchup inside the Northern conference chase and could also factor into the 4A playoff bracket. Holy Family is coming off a tough loss to Longmont this week which dropped them two games out of first in the league race. The Tigers were 17th in the Colorado Preps composite poll before the match so despite the loss, they remain a strong playoff contender. Erie is 14th in those same standings but trails Windsor and Mead by just one game in the conference standings. They’re tied with Longmont in third.
In Class 5A, Denver East shares the City league lead with Thomas Jefferson as both are unbeaten against conference rivals. The Angels could get tested by a Lincoln club that is 7-2 overall with both losses coming inside the conference. Fort Collins and Loveland are both coming off conference wins on Tuesday that kept them tied for second in the Front Range. Each team is one game back of conference unbeaten Fossil Ridge.
