A light schedule to open week three of the volleyball schedule but four contests caught our eye as ones to watch. Two are in the Colorado Springs region which again seems to be a major force in the spot this year.
New rankings are due out later today by CHSAA.
Palmer Ridge (5-0) at Vista Ridge (1-4)
The Bears will likely again be the top ranked team in Class 4A when new polls are released on Monday as they’ve been dominant through the first two weeks. All five of their wins are by 3-0 sweeps including quality victories over Lewis Palmer and Doherty. Several players have keyed their winning streak; Madison Wilson leads the Bears with 47 kills hwile Eva Larochelle (34) and Riley Anderson (33) have combined for another 67. Elania Della Rossa, with 16 aces, is a major threat from the service line as the Bears average 11 aces per match. Kyra Kisting directs the attack and tops the club with 134 assists. Vista Ridge won their first match of the season but has dropped their last four including setbacks to Rampart and Pine Creek. CeCe Johnson, with 47 kills, is their first option offensively.
Lewis Palmer (0-2) at Pine Creek (2-0)
The Rangers are winless entering week three but there’s likely on panic in their camp at this point. They started 1-2 last year but still won the Pikes Peak league crown and state championship. LP looks to avoid a 0-3 start against a Pine Creek team playing good volleyball from the start. The Eagles have beaten Air Academy in four sets and Vista Ridge in three. Hailey Aigner tops the team with 19 kills in those matches while Mikayla Hinton has provided 11. Sophomore Amelia Nott registered 14 kills against Air Academy but did not play against Vista Ridge.
Mountain Vista (6-0) at Denver East (2-0)
With six wins on their resume, Mountain Vista is among the busiest clubs in the state. Four of their victories are 2-0 sweeps in best of three matches with their most impressive coming against Legend. Kelli Ell (7) and Breklyn Pulling (6) combined for 13 kills in that quick match and they lead the Golden Eagles on the season with 44 and 32 respectively. Ell also tops the club with 24 digs. Grace Holmgren has all 98 of the teams’ assists. For Denver East, they’ve been extended to four sets in beating both Lakewood and Vista Peak. This is a good test for them as they embark on league play next week. They’re again expected to battle Thomas Jefferson for the DPL crown but won’t meet the Spartans until the regular season finale on April 23rd.
Denver Waldorf (2-0) at Mile High Academy (2-1)
This is an important early battle inside the 1A 5280. Waldorf is 1-0 and tied for the lead with Belleview Christian and Front Range Baptist. Mile High Academy (1-1) is one game back with their league loss coming to Front Range Baptist in five sets. Front Range led that contest 2-0 before the Eagles won the next two sets to force game five where they fell 15-9.
