(Jayne Simpson/CHSAANow.com)
MONUMENT — It’s no secret that Lewis-Palmer High School has a strong volleyball program. As two-time defending state champions and alma mater of 2014-2015 Gatorade Player of the Year athlete Alexa Smith, it comes as no surprise that all eyes are on the Rangers for a three-peat run at the state title this season.
But for the first time this season, they were given quite a scare as it took four sets for the Rangers to top Coronado 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 21-25, 25-14).
The Rangers (6-0 overall), ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, are led by senior setter and University of North Carolina signee Mariah Evans. Evans’ older sister Morgan is a junior volleyball player at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, and currently is ranked second in the nation for assists.
Mariah acknowledged the pressure the team faces to return to state.
“Every game, we just try to go out there and do our best, have fun and get better,” Evans said.
Evans is fresh out of her second hip surgery in the past year. As the Rangers have looked to grow as a team in the early part of the 2015 season, it’s taken her some time to ease back into playing at the level she is used to.
“I started playing back on the first game, it’s been a struggle but I’m slowly coming back,” she said.
Evans’ slow start may have had a big hand in the Rangers had a surprisingly slow start to the night. Coronado (7-2) scored the first point of the evening and gained an early 6-1 lead. Things began to click for the Rangers, who logged over five kills as a team in the first set, coming back for a 22-16 lead.
But the Cougars were not planning on backing down. Sophomore Delaney St. Pierre threw down a kill and the Rangers misdirected some of their energy, and Coronado closed in to a 24-234 game. However, Lewis-Palmer fought through to win, 25-23.
“(They’re) an amazing team, they’re extremely scrappy and never let a ball hit the ground without a fight,” Evans said. “They forced us to make adjustments we aren’t used to making.”
The second set was just as energy packed as the first. Freshman Kess Krutsinger’s kill and an added block by Nicole Mack and Elizabeth Reich gave Lewis-Palmer an 8-2 lead.
The Cougar front line answered with two blocks of their own, eventually cutting the Ranger’s safety net to a score of 11-9. Lewis-Palmer’s outside hitters continued to pound into Coronado’s defense, with Mack and Reich adding over five kills and bringing the set to a close 23-18.
Coronado gained points off a kill by Mara Abernathy and an out of bounds serve by Lewis-Palmer. The score sat at 23-20 before the Rangers closed ranks and took the set 25-20.
Even going into the final set, the Cougars were coming to play. Several out of bounds serves and spikes, paired with Coronado senior Allie Garcia’s relentless defensive effort kept the match within three points, eventually tying up the Rangers with a score of 19-19.
The Rangers team dynamic seemed to crumble momentarily, dropping open balls and misdirecting passes. With remarkable kills from Coronado senior Madison Brown, including one in the final point, the Cougars won the third set 25-21, and brought the Rangers into a fourth set for the first time all season.
“They’re the best defensive team we’ve played, they definitely exposed some of our weaknesses,” Rangers coach Susan Odenbaugh said.
The final set showcased the Rangers’ team dynamic, while exposing some flaws within Coronado. Earning and early 17-8 lead over the Cougars, gained mostly off miscommunications by the defense, Coronado dropped the final set 25-14, and the match with it.
Even so, Coronado coach Don Lash still feels good about his young team’s performance.
“We played well, we just can’t play tentatively, which we did at the end,” he said. “We’ll be working on our intensity, and I expect we’re going to grow and grow in the games to come.”
The Rangers have known all season that duplicating last year’s success will be difficult, but it’s what they learn and what they take away from each match that will help them in their quest for a third-straight state title.
“This is only our sixth match,” Odenbaugh said. “Our goal is to progressively get better and better so we can reach our peak in the post season.”