(Jayne Simpson/CHSAANow.com)
COLORADO SPRINGS — On senior night for Cheyenne Mountain, the top-ranked volleyball team in Class 4A and their six seniors took home a win against Coronado.
Cheyenne Mountain swept the match 25-17, 25-10, 25-16 against its 5A opponent.
“You can’t give balls to that team, you have to be aggressive, and we weren’t,” said Coronado head coach Matt Johnson.
The first set lifted the confidence of Cheyenne Mountain’s team as they found themselves with a double digit lead at 14-6. Senior Andrea Harris had five kills in the first set. Mika Dickson and Holly Huffman added aces to the scoreboard as Coronado struggled to find its rhythm early against a much taller team with more senior players.
The score remained in favor of Cheyenne Mountain, which had a double digit lead the majority of the time.
Though the Cougars dropped the first set, their energy never wavered and they continued to fight, scoring more than four consecutive points to end the first set 25-17.
Cheyenne Mountain took another early lead at 5-0 to open the second set, which they won 25-10. Senior Elizabeth Wayne had six kills, and juniors Bethany Cullity and Holly Huffman demonstrated their athleticism, and played major roles in the second-set win.
In the third set, Coronado was able to close the point gap that had preceded them, but Cheyenne Mountain finished the night 3-0 with a final game score of 25-16.
Points were spread across players on both sides of the net, as were errors.
Harris, a senior and outside hitter, usually doesn’t start according to coach David Barkley, but played in all three games tonight. She contributed points throughout each game.
When asked, Harris said she “feels awesome,” and hopes that she and her team can make a run for a state title.
Cheyenne Mountain is hosting a tournament with other top teams in Colorado this weekend, and are looking forward to the challenge. Coach David Barkley says that the tournament “will really push the team. We want to be battle ready.”
Teams that are appearing in the tournament include Chaparral, Grandview and Longmont.