CLASS 2A VOLLEYBALL DAILY DIGEST – 9/22/22 by Kerry Sherman

CLASS 2A VOLLEYBALL DAILY DIGEST – 9/22/22

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

Tonight’s schedule in Class 2A is filled with monster match-ups, including #1 vs #2. But, there were also a couple of very important contests last night.

Lake County picked up a non-league win over former top-ten ranked West Grand. The Panthers earned the win in three sets, pushing their winning streak to four straight. All have come in sweep fashion. West Grand has lost two of its last three.

Gilpin County got its third straight sweep victory, downing 3A SkyView Academy. Skyley Ramsey led the way with nine kills and 13 digs. After that non-league win the Eagles will jump back into Mile High league play with a home contest against Union Colony Prep.

Much of the attention tonight will be on a clash of the top two teams in the classification, when #1 Sedgwick County hosts #2 Wiggins in the LPAA. Sedgwick County, the defending champion, is 11-0, with only five sets lost. The Cougars own wins over #3 Meeker, #5 Strasburg, and #7 Holyoke in the Denver Christian tournament two weeks ago, as well as one over 1A #8 Briggsdale earlier in the season.

Wiggins (10-1) bounced back from last weekend’s sweep loss to 3A #4 Platte Valley with a 3-0 league win over Akron on Tuesday. Like the Cougars, Wiggins has only dropped five sets all season. They own wins over three ranked 1A teams, with a sweep of #2 Fleming, as well as a four-set victory over #4 Kit Carson and a sweep of #6 Wiley in the Kit Carson tournament. The Tigers had their seven-match winning streak in the series snapped last season. Sedgwick County closed out what had been a tight contest with a lopsided 25-8 win in the fourth set.

Fourth-ranked Fowler has only dropped one set in its first six Santa Fe matches. The Grizzlies will try to continue that domination when they host Rocky Ford. The Meloneers have dropped three of their last five matches, including a 3-1 defeat by Hoehne in league play on Tuesday. They are tied with the Farmers for third in the league standings, but Hoehne now owns the tiebreaker. Fowler and Rye share the top spot in the standings. Fowler has won 26- of the last 27 match-ups with the Meloneers, whose lone win came in 2019.

Hoehne can earn sole possession of third place with a win over Crowley County and a Rocky Ford loss. The Farmers have won two straight after dropping two in a row. All four of their losses have been against ranked teams, including 1A #5 La Veta, 2A #4 Fowler, 2A #6 Rye, and 3A #5 Alamosa. Crowley County had lost two straight before beating John Mall in three sets last Thursday. The Chargers are alone in fifth in the league standings, and a win tonight could create a mess in the league. To get that win they’ll have to overcome what has been nothing short of domination by Hoehne. The Farmers have a 26-1 mark in the series, with the Chargers lone win coming in 2019.

Strasburg jumps up a classification to host 3A #9 Valley. The fifth-ranked Indians have won four straight, including a wild five-setter against 3A The Academy last Thursday. Marysue Hauser crushed 24 kills in that match, with Emma Middlemist adding 15 and Natalie Damron racking up 11. Peighton Marrero recorded 50 assists, the second time she’s hit that mark this season, and is now just 18 short of 400 on the season. The sophomore has only had four errors in more than 1100 attempts. Valley has won five straight, including a 3-0 win over The Academy. Their lone loss is against 3A #3 University. Strasburg’s only loss is to Sedgwick County.

In other matches to keep an eye on, Holyoke looks to get back in the win column against Perkins County (NE). The Dragons are just 3-3 in their last six. Audrey Talavera (67 kills) and Elise Krogmeier (61) lead the attack.

St. Mary’s fell from the top-ten after suffering a loss to Woodland Park last Thursday. The Pirates got a 3-0 win over Atlas Prep on Tuesday, and will now travel to 3A La Junta for another Tri-Peaks contest. They’ve won 21 of the last 25 against the Tigers, including the last five.

Inside the Mile High, Dayspring Christian visits Denver Christian, with the winner keeping no less that a share of the league lead. Both are tied with Gilpin County atop the standings. Denver Christian has won the last four meetings, but the Eagles own a 7-5 edge in the series. Also, Front Range Christian hosts Dawson School. The Falcons are tied with Union Colony Prep for fourth in the league. Dawson School is looking for its first win in the league. Front Range Christian is two wins away from matching last season’s total (11) and at 9-4, the Falcons are looking for their first winning season since 2011.