MileHigh Prep Report

CLASS 1A VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW – EARLY WEEK

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

Week two of the volleyball season is underway, and like years past, we’ll break each week into a preview of matches between Tuesday and Thursday, and one that covers Friday through Monday. These previews will primarily focus on matches involving teams ranked in the MHPR poll, but if there are some that look to have other significant impact, we’ll try to hit on them, too.

TUESDAY

#4 GRANADA (1-0) VS KIT CARSON (0-3)

Fresh off a four-set win over #7 Caliche last Saturday, Granada opens High Plains play by hosting Kit Carson, The Lady Bobcats squandered a big lead in the first set on Saturday and ended up dropping it 23-25. They stormed back to win the next three sets 25-17, 20, 23. Kit Carson struggled in all three matches of its home tournament on Saturday, falling to Holly 25-23, 18-25, 9-15; #18 Flagler, 17-25 and 13-25; and #16 Otis, 15-25 and 19-25. Granada won last year’s match in a sweep, breaking what had been a 23-match winning streak in the series in the MaxPreps era alone.

#5 SWINK (1-0) AT 2A LAS ANIMAS (1-0)

Swink took a sweep victory over 2A St. Mary’s in the opener last Thursday, winning by scores of 25-23, 25-17, and 25-21. Emma Gacnik (17) and Daisy Heberlie (14) combined for 31 of the Lady Lions’ 39 kills. Lauren Taggart led with 25 digs, and Kashlyn Blasingame tallied 26 assists. There was no report from the opener for Las Animas last Thursday at 2A Hoehne, but the Lady Trojans did pick up a sweep win over Cheyenne Wells at home last Saturday. Swink has won seven straight in the series, including a pair of 3-0 victories last year.

#7 CALICHE (0-1) VS LONE STAR (1-0)

After the big comeback to take the first set at Granada on Saturday, Caliche could not sustain the momentum and lost in four sets. Juniors Alexis Breidenbach (15) and Faith Lueck (12) combined for 27 kills in the loss. Hayden Walker recorded 28 digs, while Aniston Marostica and Lily Armstrong had 19 assists apiece. Lone Star got the season started with a sweep on the road at 2A Wray last Thursday. The Lady Longhorns won 25-21, 23, 21. Grace Cochran put together 18 kills and 19 digs, while Peytyn Kuntz collected 16 assists, and Bryn Cook tallied 20 digs. Caliche won last year’s match-up in five at Lone Star.

#9 PRAIRIE (0-0) VS 2A #16 HIGHLAND (4-1)

Prairie is getting its season underway at home with a touch match against a good 2A Highland squad. Hannah Kugler and Macie Jaeger give the Lady Mustangs a strong presence at the net on both offense and defense. Highland already has five matches under its belt, including four last Saturday at the Estes Park tourney. The Lady Huskies went 3-1 there. Highland has six players with at least 10 kills, led by Madi Smith with 24. This will be the first meeting between the programs in the MaxPreps era.

#12 EADS (1-0) AT GENOA-HUGO/KARVAL (0-1)

Without senior Anna Wollert, who is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, Eads got off to a nice start by beating Springfield in four last Friday. The Lady Eagles lost the opening set 21-25, but then took control, winning the last three in scores of 25-16, 15, 21. Bailey Sierra led a very busy back row with 24 digs, one ahead of Aspen Nelson, who led the attack with 13 kills. Six players had double digit digs, as the team registered 111 overall. Jordynn Turcotte recorded 16 assists. Genoa-Hugo/Karval was swept by #14 Cheraw at home last Thursday, 23-25, 6-25, 16-25. The Lady Pirates only had 13 kills in the loss, seven by Rylee Corn. Lexi James tallied 10 assists. Eads has won the last two and three of the last four. The Lady Eagles needed five sets to get the win last year.

#14 CHERAW (1-0) VS 2A CROWLEY COUNTY (0-0)

Cheraw got eight kills apiece from Emi-Lee Marquez, Tinley Leake, and Bristyl Barratt in last week’s sweep of Genoa-Hugo/Karval. Raimy Sisson directed the balanced attack with 20 assists. It’s the season-opener for Crowley County, who has lost seven straight in the series. Cheraw has won the last three in sweeps, and the Lady Chargers have only won three total sets in that stretch.

#16 OTIS (2-1) AT 2A WRAY (0-)

All three of the matches played by Otis were in the Kit Carson tournament last Saturday. The Lady Bulldogs earned wins over the hosts (25-19, 25-15), and Holly (6-25, 25-20, 15-10). The lone loss came against 2A #17 Akron in two tight sets, with the Lady Bulldogs4 falling 22-25 and 23-25. Wray followed its season-opening sweep loss to Lone Star by going 0-3 at the Sedgwick County tournament last Saturday. The Lady Eagles were swept by Haxtun and 2A #2 Sedgwick County, and also lost to Briggsdale in five. Otis has won all 14 meetings with Wray in the MaxPreps era, the last three in sweeps.

THURSDAY

#2 MCCLAVE (1-2) VS WILEY (1-2)

If one only looks at the record, McClave had a rough opening weekend at the Wiggins tournament last Saturday. However, both losses were to top-ranked teams. The Lady Cards lost to 2A #1 Wiggins 25-11, 24-26, 9-15, and 1A #1 Simla 12-25, 8-25. In between, they picked up a 25-9, 25-9 sweep of 3A Liberty Common. Wiley posted the same record at the Kit Carson tournament, beating #18 Flagler (25-22, 16-25, 17-15), and losing to 2A Akron in two, and Holly in three. McClave has won the last four against its neighbor, the last three in sweeps.

#4 GRANADA AT SPRINGFIELD

Cobi Mackey had 11 kills for Springfield in the four-set loss to Eads last week, and Tyler Mackey added six. Jaylee Mort recorded nine blocks, eight of them solo. Dakota Reid notched 14 assists, and freshman Finley Hume added 10. Springfield owns an 18-3 record against Granada in the MaxPreps era, but the three wins by the Lady Bobcats have come in the last three meetings. Granada swept the last two.

#9 PRAIRIE AT 2A UNION COLONY PREP (0-0)

Union Colony Prep travels to 2A William Smith on Wednesday to open its season, so the Lady Timberwolves will be playing for the second straight night. Prairie has won four straight and six of nine in the series. Union Colony Prep only scored 35 total points last year.

#16 OTIS VS CHEYENNE WELLS (0-2)

Prior to its sweep loss at Las Animas last Saturday, Cheyenne Wells was swept at Flagler on Friday. The Lady Tigers hung tough in the first set, eventually falling 23-25. They would lose the next two by 16-25 scores. Otis has won four straight against Cheyenne Wells, including a sweep last year.

#17 PIKES PEAK CHRISTIAN (1-0) VS ELBERT (4-1)

Pikes Peak Christian got eight kills, nine aces, and nine digs from Eden Lopez in last Thursday’s sweep of Liberty Tree Academy. Lexi Stretch added 19 assists in the 25-11, 11, 10 victory. Elbert lost its opening match at last Saturday’s Hanover tournament, falling to The Colorado Springs School 26-24, 18-25, 11-15, but then won the next four matches all in sweeps. The Lady Bulldogs took down South Park, Washington County, Bethune, and Rocky Ford, each in two sets. Before they can play PPC, the Lady Bulldogs go to 2A Peyton on Tuesday. The winner of Thursday’s match gets the early jump in the Black Forest. Elbert has won 21 of 27 in the MaxPreps era, but PPC has won two of the last three, last year in a sweep.