DENVER | Cherokee Trail ran into a big obstacle — especially at the net — in its return to the Class 5A girls volleyball state tournament.
The 11th-seeded Cougars encountered a sixth-seeded Pine Creek team with an edge in state experience as well as in height on the front line, which helped add up to a 25-16, 25-8, 25-14 victory for the Eagles in a 5A first round state match Thursday morning at the Denver Coliseum.
Despite the defeat, Cherokee Trail — which made it to the state tournament for the first time since 2022 in the first year with Amber Cornett as head coach — remains alive in the double-elimination tournament, which continues through Saturday.
“Pine Creek is an exceptional team,” Cornett said of a group coached by her friend, Molly Stowers. “They have multiple offensive options, they have a fast offense, they are tough serving and play good defense. …They were clicking.”
The Eagles advanced in the Winners Bracket, where they will play No. 3 Mountain Vista in a 5 p.m. match. The Cougars, meanwhile, will return to the court at 8 a.m. Friday in a Contenders Bracket match against either No. 4 Legend or No. 5 Fossil Ridge.
A rematch of teams that played each other a little more than two weeks ago (a 3-1 win for Pine Creek at the Ponderosa Tournament) started off evenly, with both teams taking early leads.
Cherokee Trail went in front 12-9 on three consecutive service aces by senior Kassie Cooley, but watched Pine Creek reel off 11 of the next 12 points to go up 20-13. The Cougars got within six on a kill by junior Ella Notheisen, but the Eagles finished off 25-16 win.
Pine Creek ratcheted up its service game early in the second set and cracked it open early, as Cherokee Trail had major difficulties dealing with aggressive 6-foot-2 middle Morgan Holloman and others at the net. Coming out of a time out, Holloman piled up three straight kills to put her team up 19-5 on its way to a 25-8 victory.
The third set see-sawed back and forth early until Holloman and 6-2 setter Olivia Moffett asserted themselves at the net to help the Eagles get some separation. Cooley had some effective stretches for the Cougars, who rotated some young players in for experience.
Despite the defeat, the format of the state tournament means that Cherokee Trail still has a chance to come all the way back. The road is long to the final day of the tournament, so Cornett emphasized to her players not to dwell on the first match.
“It’s extra important to take that for what it was and let it serve what it needed to serve, then take a minute and let it go,” Cornett said. “It’s imperative that we look forward. We need to regroup, realign and come out and look more like CT tomorrow.”
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2024 CLASS 5A GIRLS STATE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
Thursday, Nov. 14 at Denver Coliseum
First & second round
Match A: No. 8 Cherry Creek def. No. 9 Rock Canyon 25-19, 25-21, 25-18
Match B: No. 5 Fossil Ridge def. No. 12 Loveland 25-20, 25-8, 25-22
Match C: No. 6 Pine Creek def. NO. 11 CHEROKEE TRAIL 25-16, 25-8, 25-14
Match D: No. 10 Pueblo West def. No. 7 Denver South 25-19, 13-25, 25-18, 25-15
Match E: No. 8 Cherry Creek def. No. 1 Chaparral 25-23, 19-25, 25-20, 25-22
Match F: No. 5 Fossil Ridge (22-4) vs. No. 4 Legend (18-6), 3:30 p.m.
Match G: No. 6 Pine Creek (23-3) vs. No. 3 Mountain Vista (21-4), 5 p.m.
Match H: No. 10 Pueblo West (24-2) vs. No. 2 Valor Christian (24-1), 6:30 p.m.
