Colorado Preps provided a complete look at the top 10 schedule for Tuesday volleyball but now we take a deeper dive into the top matchups of the night. Some involve top 10 teams but many others outside the polls are important to early conference standings.
Photo of Stratton/Liberty Knighted Eagles provided by OT SportsChek.
#1 Chaparral at #2 Mountain Vista
The highest ranked teams in Class 5A are a combined 11-0 on the young season but Mountain Vista has been more dominant. In their seven wins, the Golden Eagles have not dropped a set including the three-game sweep of Denver East last night. They captured set three 25-6. Kelli Ell tops the Golden Eagles with 46 kills including a season high 15 in the win over Rocky Mountain. Chaparral has dropped three sets overall as they’ve beaten Rock Canyon, Ponderosa and Regis by 2-1 outcomes. Tiffany Little, with 34 kills, paces the offense. Her season high of 12 came against Castle View last week.
#4 Cherry Creek vs #10 Eaglecrest
Cherry Creek opens the match at 4-1 in conference play and trailing first place Cherokee Trail (5-0) by one game in the chase. Eaglecrest (3-20) sits tied with Grandview in third place. The Bruins have won four straight since falling to Cherokee Trail (3-2) on opening night. Their rematch is Wednesday so they need a win tonight to stay within the range of the Cougars. Courtney Wisneski (49 kills), Carter Booth (41) and Kaegan Wherry (36) share hitting duties for Creek with Ana Van Wyk (124 assists) setting them up. Booth has 16 blocks and Wherry 42 digs to top the defense. Eaglecrest has back-to-back league losses to Grandview (3-1) and Cherokee Trail (3-0) but snapped the skid by beating Mullen in three on Friday. Freshman Hannah Brinkman finished with a team high 10 kills in that win. Dylan Harrower had three aces and three blocks while Chloe Rodocker and Jessica McMillian had 12 digs apiece.
#8 Alamosa at #9 Hoehne
This top 10 cross classification clash is a good test for both clubs. The Moose are coming off a needed conference win over Bayfield last Saturday where they stayed one game back of IML leading Montezuma Cortez. Alyssa Crowther (15, Avery Mobbley (11) and Malia Tuioti-Mariner (11) combined for 37 kills in the four-set win. Lora Ortega finished with 31 assists and five players reached double figures in digs; led by Mila Cook with 23. Hoehne (1-0) finally got on the court last Saturday as they swept Las Animas; winning each set by at least nine points. They return to Santa Fe league play on Thursday against Rye.
#6 Resurrection Christian at Platte Valley
The Cougars (2-0) jumped into the top 10 this week thanks to their four-set win over defending state champion Sterling last week. The match was tightly contested as the final three games were all decided by three points or less. Aly Reeser and Reagan McWhinney both finished with 13 kills and Jeorgia Jones added a dozen. Aly and Lexi Reeser both had 18 digs to lead the defense but the duo got plenty of help from Kylee Nordhagen with 13. Nordhagen also handed out 31 assists. Platte Valley meantime lost to Sterling in three sets in their season opener but that match came just two days after they won the state basketball championship. And the rosters for the two programs are virtually identical. Since that loss, the Broncos have won two straight including a conference win over Brush (3-0).
#1 Eaton vs Brush
Eaton is one of the last teams statewide to step on the court as tonight’s game with the Beetdiggers marks their season debut. And it’s the start of a very busy and crucial stretch where they also face Platte Valley on Thursday and Sterling on Saturday. Another top 10 opponent, University, is waiting next Tuesday as well. Brush (1-1) lost to Platte Valley but then beat 1A Flatirons Academy (3-2) last Saturday. Kealy Langford, with 10 kills, is their top hitter thus far.
#2 Limon vs #9 Stratton/Liberty
The Badgers see their first volleyball action of the spring tonight and the reason for the delay involves the extended basketball season. As you know, Limon won the 2A girls state title just 10 days ago and since many of the same names are top players on both clubs, the break was needed to make the sport changeover a bit smoother. The Badgers also tangle with Genoa Hugo and Burlington this Thursday and Friday. Stratton/Liberty (3-0) has already played three matches including quality wins over Eads and highly ranked Otis. Against the Bulldogs, McKenna Notter and Kennedy Frank both tallied 14 kills. Frank also had 17 kills. Mattie Crouse finished with 14 digs and 39 assists while Hannah Rigirozzi contributed four blocks.
#1 Wiggins vs Weldon Valley
Due to proximity and success leading to regular state tournament visits, this has become one of the best rivalries on the Eastern Plains. This year appears to be no different. Wiggins (4-1) jumped to the top of the 2A standings this week despite a loss to 1A defending state champion Fleming in the finals of the Kit Carson tournament. That match went the full five sets. Weldon Valley is unranked in Class 1A despite winning their first four matches. Senior Bre Gilliland tops Wiggins with 44 kills but younger teammates Tyleigh Fehseke (freshman) and Lexi McCullough (sophomore) each have 38. Avery Burdette has 152 digs through five matches while Rachael White has 112 assists. Weldon Valley recorded two four set wins last week; beating Caliche and Genoa Hugo.
#7 Sangre De Cristo vs Del Norte
This matchup continues an early season trend of both schools playing bigger schools to get better prepared for a postseason run. The T-Birds (2-1) are ranked seventh in Class 1A with their lone loss coming against 3A Centauri. Del Norte (2-2) opened with losses to 3A rivals Pagosa Springs and Alamosa but has responded with wins over Monte Vista and South Park. Senior Kaeci Madrid, with 40 kills, is the top option offensively for Del Norte and also leads the Tigers with 99 digs. Molly Cavett has a team-best 48 assists. Sangre has wins over Creede and Antonito since the opening loss and did not drop a set in either contest.
Durango at Fruita Monument
Durango looks to build momentum from Saturday’s five set win over then seventh ranked Montrose. That win pushed the Demons to the top spot in the early Southwestern league standings. They’re 2-0 and three others have one loss. Fruita Monument meantime, makes their league debut and ends a ten-day stretch of not playing. They last stepped on the court March 20th in a loss to 2nd ranked Mountain Vista. Their win is against Vista Peak. Durango rallied from 2-1 down against Montrose to upset the Indians. Game five finished 15-13.
Montezuma Cortez vs Pagosa Springs
Despite beating ranked league rivals Bayfield and Alamosa last week, the Panthers still did not crack the 3A Top 10 this week. They were 11th overall. Those wins pushed Cortez to sole possession of the Intermountain standings. Pagosa Springs lost their season opener and only conference game to date against Alamosa. They’ve won two straight over Ignacio and Del Norte since. Avery Wright leads Montezuma Cortez with 44 kills including 17 in the season opening win over Bayfield. She added 16 in last week’s win over Centauri. Adezdiin Boeckman directs the offense with a team leading 87 assists. Amber Wood (43 digs) and Devon McHenry (41) are the top defenders. Molly Graham led Pagosa Springs with 12 kills in the three-game sweep of Del Norte and Kori Lucero added five aces. Chole Bridges finished with 32 assists and 17 assists to pace the team in both categories.
Steamboat Springs at Eagle Valley
Eagle Valley is 5-0 and alone atop the 4A Western Slope standings by one game over Steamboat Springs and three others. Both teams are coming off important league wins on Saturday as the Devils moved past Battle Mountain and the Sailors downed Glenwood Springs. Against Battle Mountain, Eagle Valley collected 10 kills from Sophia Rinn and nine from Edie Geddes-Boyd. Olivia Fedrizzi picked up 23 digs and CY Yurcak dished out 17 assists. Both Fedrizzi and Yurcak recorded three aces. For Steamboat, the match continues a strong stretch. They lost to 3A Coal Ridge in five sets last week before scoring the win over Glenwood Springs two days later.
Sargent at Center
The Farmers are 3-0 and have yet to drop a set in beating South Park, Crested Butte and Trinidad. Center is also unbeaten (2-0) but has had a tougher time in downing Centennial in four sets and Crested Butte in five. The winner could step up to challenge the likes of Sanford and Del Norte in the Southern Peaks chase. Gabby Jones has 11 kills for Sargent this year and Alicia Urbina 13 assists. Center rallied from 2-1 down to stun Crested Butte over the weekend.
Lone Star at Idalia
Idalia plays their second game in as many nights as they swept past Cheyenne Wells on Monday night. It pushed their season record to 2-0 as they also have a 3-0 win over Caliche. Lone Star has played three three-set matches; winning the last two over Peetz and Bethune after an opening loss to 2A Akron. Alison Davis, with 25 kills and Andrea Kuntz with 22, are the top two hitters. Jayna Lockard leads the Longhorns with 55 assists.
Byers at Flagler
Byers has quietly recorded three consecutive sweeps to open the season and looks for a fourth in a conference pairing with Flagler. Balance has been the key for the Bulldogs as Gillian Sickendick, Janette Hernandez, Libby Earl and Symantha Linnebur all enter the match with nine kills. Flagler is already 1-0 in league play and overall, thanks to a 3-0 win over 2A Burlington. Katelyn Klann had a dozen kills; Micaela Heger 16 digs and Jaylie Stone 14 assists to pace the Panthers.
Highland at Dayspring Christian
It’s very early in the 2A Mile High chase but Dayspring is out of the gate at 3-0 and Highland is 2-1 so this could be a battle of league title contenders by years end. Dayspring has not been pushed as they’ve swept Nederland, Longmont Christian and Clear Creek thus far. Highland has a tough five set loss to defending state champion sandwiched by sweeps of Strasburg and Gilpin County. The Huskies feature the one-two hitting punch of Madilyn Nelson (23 kills) and Alexus Rigg (22). They’ve also recorded 22 digs apiece and trail team leader Taryn Winter (23) by just one in that category. Dayspring Christian has four hitters with at least 11 kills; a group led by Tabor Flanagan with 20. Karrin Chandler paces the Eagles with 33 assists and 19 aces. The Eagles overall have a whopping 60 aces in their first three matches.
Lakewood at Ralston Valley
Ralston Valley (5-0) has lost just one set to Boulder through the first two weeks of the season but tonight’s game with Lakewood (3-1) could be their most difficult test. The Mustangs and Tigers are two of four unbeatens in early Jeffco play; joining Chatfield and Columbine in first place. Ralston is led in hitting by Taylor Scherff (47 kills) and Brianna Fay (34) and on defense by Gabi Coombs with 48 digs. Lakewood dropped a four-setter to Denver East but rebounded with a sweep of Bear Creek last Thursday. Seniors Jada Hall (14) and Elisa Budney (10) combined for 24 kills. Morgan Steck dished out 33 assists.
