(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER – It’s been said that every state championship is a little bit different and each one carries its own special meaning.
For Eaton senior Tarynn Sieg, that has held true throughout here prep career. On Saturday night at the Denver Coliseum, Sieg finally got the opportunity to enjoy the title that sends her out on top.
Sieg recorded 16 kills in her final match and the Reds rode a strong start to their fourth consecutive Class 3A volleyball championship. Eaton took down Valley for the third year in a row in the final match, rolling to a 25-14, 25-18, 25-19 victory.
“It’s amazing,” Sieg said. “I can’t explain the feeling.”
Eaton (27-2) gave up only one set in the two days at the Coliseum. The Reds became the first state program to win four in a row since Cheyenne Mountain won five in 4A from 2008-12.
“Obviously it’s a direct reflection of how we’ve performed in the last six years,” Eaton coach Gwen Forster said. “As the kids get in, sometimes it’s an eye-opener for them and sometimes they have to understand and they embrace it and they go with it.”
Going up against Valley (23-6) wasn’t much of a change for Eaton, which has combined with its Patriot League rival to claim the past seven 3A crowns. The Reds defeated Valley twice during the regular season.
The Vikings had to endure a pair of five-set matches in the tournament, including rallying for a 25-20, 15-24, 21-25, 25-14, 15-8 victory over Colorado Springs Christian in the semifinals.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“We both have a feel for each other, seeing them the last two years and being around them a lot,” Sieg said. “We all know we’re going to have to come out with our ‘A’ game … we have to play our hardest every single point.”
Sophomore Makenzie Harris finished with 14 kills for Eaton, including the deciding one on match point. Senior Ashton Reese-Lawrence added nine. Junior Chelsey Lockey tallied 35 assists, and seniors Courtney Leafgren (22), Izzy Noonan (11) and Kylee Stewart (10) paced the team in digs.
Eaton got off to a strong start in the first set and never looked back, with Sieg recording seven kills in the set. Junior Kennedi Ingram put away the second set with a kill, and despite Valley hanging with the Reds late, strong performances from Sieg and Harris made the difference in the final set.
“It’s tempo. We’ve got to be able to put pressure on them on the end-line,” Forster said. “Valley is good and we had to create that in order to keep them off-balance. I think we did a good job of that.”
Sieg, who can claim a state championship in each of her four years, laughed when asked if she was feeling it in the third set.
“I was talking to myself on the court,” she said. “I was like ‘okay, this is it. My senior year, my last plays, so make the most of it. That’s what I did.”
Valley, which received strong efforts up front from senior Brooke Schilling and Ashlyn Martinez, graduates three seniors. The Vikings can continue to build off the experience of reaching the state title game three years running.
Eaton will send off five seniors. Sieg said the four-peat shows the tradition that the program has been able to build and maintain over the years.
“It shows a new standard,” Sieg said. “It’s showing it’s not just one person that can make a team and it’s not just one full year that’s going to show who we are. It just shows the type of culture we bring up … everyone on there plays their hardest and that’s why we have repeats.”