(Andre Lyseight/CHSAANow.com)
HIGHLANDS RANCH — Mountain Vista volleyball displayed Tuesday night exactly why it is the second-ranked team in Class 5A.
The Golden Eagles (10-2) swept Regis Jesuit in a 3-0 win (25-19, 25-20, 25-21), giving the team its fifth-straight victory — and moving them to 5-0 in the always-tough Continental League.
“Game in and game out we play tough games,” Mountain Vista coach Doug Schafer said after the match. “We have the best league in the state. Each game is important. Regardless of the team’s record, it doesn’t matter because everybody is good.”
Mountain Vista started the first set of the match strong, jumping out to a 13-6 lead. Regis Jesuit was able to rally back within four. But, after timeout called by Mountain Vista, the Raiders were not able to finish the set out with the momentum they gained.
The second set of the match was the most impressive by Mountain Vista, led by senior middle blocker Keely Ruby. Ruby’s numerous kills gave her team a 16-8 lead.
Despite the dominant start by Mountain Vista, Regis Jesuit was not going out without a fight. The Raiders went on a 5-0 run, bringing the set to 23-20. Once again, though, the Golden Eagles called a timeout to gain their composure, and finished strong, winning set 25-20.
“I think we played really well. It was definitely not just one particular person who ran the court,” Ruby said. “We are all good so the setter can go to anyone and any front row person can go for a hit.
“I think our defense was on point, too. They always got a perfect set to the setter and we can trick out the other team and make a really great play from that.”
The Raiders were finally able to get their first lead in the third set.
Regis Jesuit outside hitters Taylor Smith and Mary Raitt had a huge impact in propelling their team to a 12-7 lead. But the lead wasn’t big enough to stop Mountain Vista from rallying back, with a 3-0 run forcing a timeout from Regis Jesuit.
At this point it became a pattern for the Golden Eagles to come out of timeouts with momentum and that’s exactly what happened again. Mountain Vista extended its run to 7-0, taking the lead at 14-13. The Golden Eagles finished the set off aggressively winning 25-21.
“One thing I think we do really well is even when we’re down we can find a way to pick it back up whether its someone serving a couple points or really great defense,” Ruby said. “We always find a way to pick it up and push through and win.”
Regis Jesuit (6-7) is now facing a five-match losing streak.
“I think we need to improve on our hitting, that will be our next step that we work on,” Raiders coach Laura Dunston said. “Our next goal is trying to get a win.”