Resurrection Christian has now won 61 consecutive matches, dating back to 2012. (Aislyn Carrillo/CHSAANow.com)
LOVELAND — Resurrection Christian’s winning streak stretched to 61 matches on Thursday, and the Cougars plan on continuing their success and quest for the third straight state championship.
This is very possible considering their streak is not in any danger early in the season.
“We have very high expectations for this season,” coach Caleb Howard said. “The girls talk a lot about winning state again and they want to keep that goal in mind and push themselves to get there.”
A majority of this year’s team, ranked No. 1 in the current 2A poll, has been a part of winning the state title the past two years. Since the players have that experience, they know how the expectations feel and are prepared to handle them once again.
“They know what it takes and they know how hard they have to work throughout the season to get there,” Howard said.
Howard made it clear that he believes the Cougars (3-0 overall) can win that 2A title once again this year.
Senior outside hitter Abby Skipworth was a part of the Cougar’s last two perfect seasons and has no desire to fall short in her final season.
“The feeling of winning state was indescribable and it was such an honor,” she said. “It’s not going to be easy, it’s never easy. But I definitely think we can, and with the right mentality and hard work, we will.”
(Aislyn Carrillo/CHSAANow.com)
The Cougars are now on a 61-match winning streak after defeating Mo. 3 Dayspring Christian Academy (6-1) on Thursday night. That mark, which dates to the 2012 season, is tied for the third-longest in state history.
Their hard work and talent shined on the court as they played aggressively throughout the match. Service aces, blocks, and kills led the Cougars to their victory.
Resurrection Christian swept the Eagles in three quick sets with the final scores of 25-18, 25-17, and 25-18.
The Cougars immediately took the lead forcing Dayspring Christian coach Kristin Kurz to use both of her timeouts in the set. Skipworth defended the Eagle’s ball with a dig and scored the set point.
Starting off the second set, the Cougars took an 8-1 run right off the bat. They steadily held at least a four-point lead on the Eagles throughout the entire set. Kurz ended up using both of her timeouts again, and to her disadvantage, the Eagles still had many errors, which resulted in the final score being 25-17.
The final set of the match seemed to be the toughest for Resurrection Christian. At one point, Dayspring Christian had a three-point lead on Resurrection.
The teams stayed within three points of each other until the Cougars’ Saylor Webb and Jessica Meyer tied up the set by blocking the Eagles’ attempted spikes. The Cougars managed to hold the Eagles at 20-18 and continuously increase their score from there.
Skipworth ended the match by scoring the match point, and having the entire gym cheering on the Cougars’ victory.
Resurrection Christian has a three-day tournament coming up this weekend and the Cougars hope to keep their winning streak going.