DENVER — The loud crowd noise as five courts of state finals volleyball played simultaneously created an electrifying atmosphere in the Denver Coliseum that would have gotten anyone excited. The two best teams in Class 1A faced off in the finals with the No.1 Otis Bulldogs defeating No. 2 Idalia Wolves 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 22-25, 25-16, 15-12) in a match that came down to the wire.
Senior outside hitter Lissette Lefforge dominated when she needed to, helping her team hoist the state championship trophy.
“This is unbelievable,” said Lefforge. “This is what we worked our whole lives for. Since the first grade I’ve been working with Kylee (Kutz) and Tonya (Schaffert) and this is what we wanted our whole lives. Semifinal was not good enough this year. We took it home.”
The final set of the game showed how much composure as team Otis had after dropping the first two consecutive sets to fall behind 2-1. They battled back in set three to tie things up, sending the match to a fifth and final set.
Otis celebrates winning the 1A volleyball championship game, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015, at the Denver Coliseum in Denver, Colo. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Otis was able to start the set off strong but Idalia rallied back tie it up six different times. Lefforge showed her dominance with powerful strikes in the most important set of her life to help lead her team to victory in 15-12 win.
“We came back two sets to two,” Lefforge said. “Neck and neck to the very end. Mental toughness is what helped us win.”
Bulldogs coach Bonnie Wallin-Kuntz nodded in agreement with Lefforge about mental toughness being key for their win.
“My kids do all the talking, they know exactly what’s going on. It’s a family,” said coach Wallin-Kuntz
Otis’s first set showed exactly why they were the No. 1 seed coming into the weekend. They controlled the game with vicious strikes from Lefforge and and well-placed tips from Schaffert, creating the perfect combo to win the first set 25-21.
But Idalia was far from done and came back strong in the second set. The Wolves’s defense helped them maintain a comfortable lead every time the Bulldogs tried to rally back. Otis nearly pulled even after falling behind 24-20 but Wolves couldn’t afford to be down 2-0 and finished the set strong to to take a 25-23 win.
The confident Otis team started to look flustered as Idalia carried the momentum into the third set. Senior right setter Susana Herrera and senior outside hitter Reagan Shaffer both capitalized on key opportunities throughout the set giving them the biggest lead of the match at 16-9. Once again Otis rallied back at 22-24 but fell short, losing the set 25-22
With Idalia’s only two losses of the season coming at the hands of Otis, a 2-1 lead looked like they were on the verge to redeeming their loss in the best way possible.
But in the fourth set, Otis had its back against the wall and Idalia had chance to win it all. The Wolves one-two combo, Herrera and Shaffer, helped tie the game at crucial moments, but it wasn’t enough. Otis built an eight-point lead that was too big for Idalia to climb back from, and suddenly, the match was tied.
The final set of the game came down to the team who could make the clutch plays at the right moment. The teams traded back and forth points and were tied at 12-12. Otis was able to step it up and score the last three points winning the final set 15-12 and bringing home a state title.
“I feel great,” said coach Wallin-Kuntz “These kids have worked so hard. I told them their hard work will payoff, just believe it. Just keep working because there is no better feeling when your hard work pays offs.”