Several teams scored more than one impressive win last week and we recap the important contests in our volleyball rewind for Classes 3A-4A-5A. We look at how the results impact each conference race as teams continue to battle for local championships.
CLASS 3A
The list of leaders in the Patriot conference was reduced from five to four as University edged Valley in five sets last Thursday. The Bulldogs got the win despite 29 kills, 18 assists and 14 digs from Delaney Eckhardt. Dylan Torres paced University with 15 kills and Aesha Alrashed had 12. Caitlin Harr had 19 digs while Aliyah Hernandez (27) and Logan Conlin (22) combined for 49 assists.
The win kept University tied with Sterling, Eaton and Platte Valley atop the standings. The clubs are a combined 15-0 in league action.
St Mary’s stayed in contention for a top three finish in the Tri Peaks by beating St Mary’s in four sets. It was their sixth straight win as they improved to 6-1 in conference play. The Pirates are now one game back of league unbeatens Colorado Springs Christian and Lamar. They’ve already lost to Lamar but challenge the Lions this Tuesday.
Seneca Hackley put together a huge effort in the win with 13 kills, 10 aces and 15 digs. Alexa LaMack added 48 assists and Sarah Connors 20 digs. Jillian Kellick added 11 kills at the net.
Cedaredge stayed perfect in the Western Slope with a four-set win over Basalt. The result was expected but it was also a bit newsworthy as the Bruins dropped their first set on the season. The Bruins are tied with Coal Ridge in first place and visit the Titans on the 19th. Cedaredge also has a win over third place Delta so the Bruins are in good shape for no worse than a top two finish.
Top ranked Lutheran improved to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Metro with a 3-1 win over Prospect Ridge. Payton Brgoch had just 33 hitting attempts but still finished with 18 kills. Kennedey Johnson added 13 kills. The Lions are tied with Faith Christian for the Metro lead and those two don’t face off until the 15th.
Centauri moved into second place behind Alamosa in the IML thanks to their four set win over Bayfield. Both had just a league loss to the conference leaders going in but now the Falcons stand alone in second. Marissa Johnson led the offense with 10 kills and Dynae Johnson chipped in nine. Ashtyn Haslett handed out 37 assists while Kaitlyn Quinlan (19) and Brynli Sowards (13) topped the defensive effort with a combined 32 digs.
The teams meet again quickly as round two is set for October 12th.
Alamosa has already played 18 matches and won 16 of them. The Moose stepped away from the IML over the weekend but picked up three wins at the Queen of the Mountain tournament in Battle Mountain. They beat Durango, Aspen and Vail Mountain but also fell to the host Huskies. Despite that setback, the Moose remain unbeaten against 3A rivals as their previous loss came against 2A #1 Denver Christian.
CLASS 4A
It’s an easy choice to say Palmer Ridge had the best week of any club in the division. They opened play in the stout Pikes Peak conference by moving past top ranked Discovery Canyon in five sets and then two nights later took out 3A power Eaton in four games.
Riley Anderson netted 23 kills and Olivia Parsley 15 against Discovery Canyon. Claire Johnson and Nameeah Weathers were also big at the net with seven blocks apiece. Eliana Della Rossa finished with 34 digs and Kyra Kisting amassed a career best 65 assists. Discovery Canyon, which also lost to Coronado to start the week, picked up 14 kills from Paityn Kramer and 11 from Leah Lester.
Silver Creek earned the first half lead in the Northern conference by taking out Thompson Valley 3-1. The Raptors are 8-0 with Thompson Valley still alone in second at 7-1. The Eagles, despite the loss, still have a two game edge on third place teams Longmont and Niwot.
Caitlyn Volkmann led the Raptors with 27 kills and the rest of team totaled 28. 13 of those went to Megan Sotiroff and 10 to Kate Prestwich. They outhit the Eagles 55-38 in the victory.
Emma Stenner collected 15 digs and Olivia Nelson 13. Nelson also led Silver Creek with 37 assists.
The teams meet again at Thompson Valley on October 24th.
Glenwood Springs also won a battle of league unbeatens with Palisade and the Demons now sit alone atop the Western Slope. They’re 6-0 with the Bulldogs second at 5-1. Round two between the long time rivals is set for October 24th in Glenwood Springs.
D’Evelyn is now alone in first inside the Jeffco. They earned sole possession by outlasting Evergreen 3-2 last Tuesday. Sophia Hoffman had a huge match as the senior finisehd with 17 kills, five aces and 17 digs. Alyvia O’Brien added nine kills and Hannah Gwinner eight. Tanya Garcia, with 25 digs, was the top defender and Emma Freimuth directed the attack with 33 assists.
Skyline knocked Holy Family out of first place in the Northern with a 3-1 win last week. The Tigers are now 3-1 in the conference and tied with Frederick and Erie. All three are looking up at first place and league unbeaten Windsor.
Erin Elwood had four aces, 23 digs and 25 assists in the win. Abigail Stoops paced the attack with 11 kills. Jenny Dunder added 4 blocks and Molly Hennessy matched Elwood with 23 digs.
Windsor beat Berthoud (3-0) for their only conference match of the week. They face Skyline on Tuesday. The Falcons entered the league slate without a loss but have already dropped two conference matches.
The South Central is again a two-team battle between Pueblo County and Pueblo West as both are 4-0 with a two game lead on all other rivals. Pueblo County created the gap by taking out Pueblo East 3-0 last week. Sammy Meehan had 19 kills and Kinley Gomez 13.
West hosts County on Tuesday in the first of two meetings between the local rivals. County is the defending league champion with both teams sitting in the top five of the most recent CHSAA rankings.
CLASS 5A
Valor Christian opened the Jeffco in a big way last week; sweeping traditional league challengers Lakewood and Chatfield. Anna Davis was the top hitter in both matches as she had 18 kills against Lakewood and 16 vs Chatfield.
Ralston Valley matched Valor with two wins including a three game win over Lakewood. Taylor Scherff (12) and Brianna Fay (11) totaled 23 kills together.
Valor Christian and Ralston Valley meet on October 24th.
Legend picked up a huge win over Highlands Ranch (3-1) last week. The win pushed the Titans to 5-0 in the Continental and into a first place tie with Chaparral. The two statewide powers clash at Chaparral on Tuesday for the outright lead.
Rylie Kadel had 17 kills for Legend. She also added four blocks. Peyton Dunn chipped in 11 digs and 31 assists to lead the team in both categories.
Cherokee Trail topped Cherry Creek in four sets as the Cougars kept pace with Grandview in the Centennial. Both are unbeaten in the conference.
Amaya Messier topped the Cougars with 24 kills and Maddie Cooley was next with 12. Sydney Cole (4) and Gabi Maas (3) combined for seven aces and Kealey Marshall provided 22 digs. Cole added 49 assists.
Grandview stayed perfect by beating Mullen in three. The Wolves get a big test with Eaglecrest on Monday before the big showdown with Cherokee Trail on Friday. Eaglecrest is a game back and stayed there by downing Arapahoe last week. It was the first league loss for the Warriors.
Four teams shared the Southwestern league entering last week but the number was trimmed to three when Fruita Monument beat Grand Junction 3-0. The Wildcats are 3-1 in league play and tied with Montrose (3-1) and Durango (2-0) in first place. Rachel Coffey had 15 kills and three aces. Trinity Hafey had 13 digs and Sarah Mahoney with 26 assists.
Rangeview earned a quick three-set win over Prairie View to remain tied with Vista Peak for the EMAC lead. The Raiders improved to 5-0 while the Bison sit at 3-0. Sierra Hunt had 11 kills and Iyania Aylte seven aces.
