CLASS 3A VOLLEYBALL DAILY DIGEST – 9/21/22 by Kerry Sherman

CLASS 3A VOLLEYBALL DAILY DIGEST – 9/21/22

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

Before looking at tonight’s action in the classification, we take a glance back at the contests we missed over the past few days. Friday night had two matches with top teams involved, beginning with newly minted #10 Jefferson Academy sweeping Colorado Springs Christian at home. The Jaguars were pushed in all three sets, winning by a total of 11 points. Two sophomores led their respective teams on the attack, with Monica Slusser recording 10 kills for the Jags and Abigail Perry having a match-high 13 for CSCS.

Jefferson Academy made it two straight wins, beating Prospect Ridge Academy in five sets on Tuesday in Metro league action. Slusser added 15 kills to her season tally, while Laila Gallaher racked up 11.

St. Mary’s Academy, just inside the top-20 of today’s RPI rankings, won for just the second time in four matches, beating SkyView Academy on Friday. The Wildcats won in three close sets, 25-23 in the third. They earned a second straight win on Tuesday, beating Eagle Ridge Academy in four sets. It was the Metro opener for both teams.

A very busy Saturday saw top-ranked Eaton sweep Faith Christian (25-6 in the third). It was the 18^th straight win by the Reds in the series, and their fifth consecutive win overall this season. They took that streak to six on Tuesday, beating Weld Central in Patriot action.

Fellow Patriot contender, Platte Valley, picked up a big cross-classification victory, beating 2A #2 Wiggins in three sets. The Broncos eked out a 27-25 win in the opener, and then shut the Tigers down the rest of the way, allowing a total of 26 points in the final two sets. It was the first loss for Wiggins and the fourth straight win for Platte Valley. That streak grew to five on Tuesday, as they allowed a total of 24 points to Estes Park. It was their 18^th straight win over the Bobcats, who have not won a set in that stretch.

Centauri broke its four-match losing streak with a 3-0 win at Pagosa Springs in the IML. The Falcons got 23 assists from Camryn Wiltfong in the win. That victory wasn’t enough to keep Centauri in the top-ten this week, as they fell to 12^th in the rankings.

Liberty Common had the tough challenge of dropping down to face the top-ranked team in 2A, Sedgwick County. It resulted in the third loss in four matches for the Eagles, despite hanging tough with the defending champions. They got back in the win column on Tuesday with a sweep at Brush in Patriot play.

Roaring Fork got an important Western Slope victory on Monday, beating Basalt in four. Ruby Denning and Bella Brown each had nine kills for the Rams.

Second-ranked Lamar went a full week between matches, but the Thunder showed little rust in beating Manitou Springs last night. Lamar not only remained perfect in the Tri-Peaks and overall, but they have yet to drop a set. Going back to the spring season of 2021, they are 51-2, with only 15 sets lost. Both lost matches and nine of the set losses have come at state.

Sterling snapped a two-match losing streak with a 3-0 win at Timnath in Patriot league play on Tuesday. Timnath sits 26^th in today’s RPI standings, and the Tigers are 29^th. University and Resurrection Christian also picked up sweep wins in the league last night, with the Bulldogs beating Berthoud and the Cougars taking down Frontier Academy.

The highlight on tonight’s schedule has #7 Stargate School (#1 RPI) visiting Windsor Charter Academy in non-league play. The unbeaten Eagles haven’t played in 11 days and enter the road contest with only one lost set on the season, and wins over three of the current top-10 in the RPI. Windsor Charter has won four straight, but still sits 44^th in the RPI.