DENVER — The booming Thomas Jefferson student section was hype.
The ladies and gents of TJ put on their yellow shirts and brought the noise for a big rivalry matchup between the last two undefeated volleyball teams in the Denver Prep League heading into the game.
The TJ squad rocked the bleachers and roared the cheers and chants through all three sets, but this week’s Class 5A No. 5-ranked Denver East volleyball team defeated Thomas Jefferson in a sweep, 25-15, 25-16, 25-21, on Wednesday night on the Spartans’ home court.
The Angels, now 13-2 overall and 5-0 in league play, were down a key outside hitter in senior Maya Patterson — gone on a college visit to Nova Southeastern University in Florida — but were still able to use their height and consistency to power past the Spartans (14-3 overall, 5-1 league), who were outsized and therefore struggled on defense.
“Qairo Bentley moved to the outside (from the right side), which is awesome,” East coach Tarah Olmstead said. “She’s a great utility player who can play any position. And Macy Cummings, 6-foot-1, came on the right side in place of Bentley and did a phenomenal job. She’s been working on a lot of things, and she executed the tiny details out there tonight.”
Outside hitter Chase Jackson, the Angels’ kill leader who has pledged to play collegiate volleyball at Wichita State, was very consistent and dominant in the front row all night. The 6-foot-tall senior really helped open up Denver East’s offense.
“Chase just knows how to win and keeps her composure the entire time, “Olmstead said. “She’s just so tactical and allows us to run different things”
Jackson took command on a pair of back-to-back kills late in the second set, bringing the Angels to match point and ultimately winning the set off a shanked Spartans serve receive.
Outmatched from the beginning by size, the Spartans struggled from the beginning with passing and defense, notably serve receive, and were burned a few times on some deep kills.
“East has so much more size than anyone we’ve seen this year, so that was an adjustment for our hitters,” Spartans coach Erik Rhee said. “Especially from a blocking perspective, they’re very good.”
(Morgan Dzak/CHSAANow.com)
The Spartans maintained strong net play, especially from dual attacking force in the Sandoval sisters: Jaden, a senior who has pledged to the University of Denver, and Siale, a sophomore with a very bright future. They helped the offense and started shutting down the Angels towards the end.
“Thomas Jefferson bounced back, closed down our offense and threw up some blocks,” Olmstead said.
Senior Annie McAninch, an undersized middle, was also a very versatile player for the Spartans. Gracey Jarecke, normally a libero for club, was also clutch setting for TJ.
“She hasn’t set in three or four years, but she’s very athletic,” Rhee said.
TJ started all three sets off with strong momentum, but would get jammed up towards the end. The Spartans rallied in the third set, but ultimately lost on another shanked pass.
“It’s always nerve-wracking to come in, especially with a crowd,” Jackson said. “But our team loves the noise, even if it’s rooting against us. We love to prove people wrong.”