Volleyball: Aurora volleyball powers have tough tests ahead

The whirring “buzzsaw” known as Centennial League volleyball appears sharper than ever in 2013.

As the regular season opens on Aug. 29, the league that sent four teams — out of eight total — to last season’s Class 5A state tournament looks to be even stronger.

As many as five teams — Grandview (a state finalist last season), Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest, Arapahoe and Cherry Creek — appear to have the talent to lay claim to the league title when the gauntlet is through.

So can veteran Wolves coach Patty Childress handicap the race at all?

“Nope, ask me in five weeks,” said Childress, whose entering her 15th season at Grandview and has led the program to eight state finals.

“We had four teams go to the state tournament last year and that’s something that could happen again,” she continued. “We have legitimately four, maybe five, teams battling for that top spot.”

With the program’s track record and a huge group of returning seniors and juniors with significant experience, the Wolves (22-7 last year) come into the new season ranked No. 2 in 5A in CHSAANow.com’s preseason coaches poll.

The only team ranked above Grandview is the Doherty team that swept the state championship match from it last fall. The teams play each other Aug. 31 in the first match for both.

With four players on her roster already committed to college programs — seniors Morgan Montgomery (West Virginia), Kylie Copple (Central Michigan) and Sydney Ederhoff (Black Hills State), plus junior Haley Mclaren (Oregon) — plus more possibilities in senior Alyssa Svalberg and others, Childress has plenty to work with.

Team chemistry is abundant and a junior class including Tara Stillwell, Katie Patrick and others is keeping the internal competition level high. If the Wolves can improve in the passing game and setters Copple and Svalberg get on the same page with their hitters, Grandview could be quite formidable.

“These kids have a lot of potential to do some pretty advanced things,” Childress said. “We have a lot of talent and versatility, so we’ll be able to run a lot of options. If our passing comes around, we’ll be in good shape.”

Cherokee Trail took a legitimate step forward last season with a 19-8 record and earned a trip to the state tournament for the first time since moving up to 5A in 2007.

Coach Terry Miller’s Cougars failed to win a match at state, but it created a fire for a returning group that includes a veteran setter in junior Sidney Wicks, a Division I-bound senior libero in Iowa State pledge Nikki Berta and budding sophomore outside hitter Shannon Webb.

“They weren’t happy with their showing at state, so they are hungry,” said Miller, who also has back his starting middle blockers in seniors Crystal Powell and Javon Linnear.

“The great thing about going to state is the young kids got to see what it is like and they want more of it; they’ll work hard to make it happen,” he added.

“It makes me nervous, but the girls themselves are full of confidence.”

The Cougars’ hunger showed over the summer, as they won both the Cherry Creek Midsummer Tournament as well as the University of Northern Colorado tournament, finishing atop the 80-team field.

Miller — whose team is rated No. 7 in the preseason coaches poll — called the Centennial League a “buzzsaw,” while veteran Eaglecrest coach Tanya Bond — who has done double-digit loops around the league herself — expects it to be a fight every night.

“I think we’ll beat each other up night after night,” said Bond, whose team is preseason No. 5.

Fortunately for the Raptors, they’ll have one of the state’s top talents in their arsenal in junior setter Jordyn Poulter, who led the Centennial League with an average of 9.8 assists last season and also had the league’s best hitting percentage a year ago.

The 6-foot-1 standout — who has committed to the University of Illinois — spent her summer training with the Under-18 U.S. national team and earned a trip to Thailand, where she started on the team that won the silver medal at the FIVB U-18 Girls’ Youth World Championships.

“What can I even say about this girl?” Bond said, noting that Poulter returned to the school immediately after she got back to be with her Eaglecrest teammates.

“Her leadership and experience at the next level will help raise the level of our entire program,” Bond continued. “I will look to her to dominate matches.”

Though she’s down one weapon in graduated middle blocker Ruth Okoye, Poulter should have her go-to player back in senior outside hitter Taylor Loyd.

The University of Denver recruit suffered a torn ACL at the state tournament and has worked her way back to health, needing only to regain her timing. Loyd led the Centennial League in kills per set with 5.4 last season and also ranked in the top 10 in digs.

The development of junior Kalee Maricle in the middle should help Eaglecrest make up for the departure of Okoye, an all-league first team performer.
In his second season, Overland coach Chance Dunston hired an entirely new staff and tried to correct some of the mistakes he felt he made in his first season.

The Trailblazers return their starting setter in senior Savannah Drew, plus a rising middle in 5-10 Franny Reed and a pair of outside hitters in junior Lamija Spahic and senior Emily Plata.

Smoky Hill graduated one of the league’s top all-around talents in outside hitter Elisa Elvove, plus Centennial League digs leader Alex Chapin is also gone, leaving primarily a young group for coach Carrie Glenn.

A war very similar to the one facing Centennial League teams will be waged in the Continental League, where coach Laura Dunston has a potential contender at Regis Jesuit.

Mass graduation from the 2011 team that made the 5A semifinals impacted the Raiders, who finished 13-12 a year ago and fell short of a return to state.

Dunston doesn’t need to replace much in her starting lineup, other than setter Kaitlyn Taggart, but the experience of hitters such as seniors Natalya King and Claire Strohm and junior Santaisha Sturges should make a big difference as Maxx Myers assumes the primary duties at setter.

Regis Jesuit tied for third at the UNC Tournament and Dunston feels like the Raiders should contend with league powers Chaparral, Highlands Ranch, Mountain Vista, Heritage and Legend at the top of the Continental League.

“It is a much more experienced team than last year and our hitters are going to be so much better,” Dunston said. “Our hitting average was pretty low and if we turn that around, it should be a pretty fun season.”

Doug Walker reassumes the head coaching job at Rangeview — which won last season’s EMAC championship —  after a year serving as an assistant under Larry Deffenbaugh, who left for the head job at Bennett High School.

Also gone are two of the Raiders’ lynchpins for several seasons in outside hitter/setter Allie Walker and libero Amanda Maestas, who were leaders on the court as well as on the stat sheets.

Rangeview lost 11 seniors in all, but Doug Walker hopes Rachel Virbickis, the lone returning varsity player, sophomore Jackie McBride and others can do their best to fill in.

Gateway was much improved in the first season under Mary Millman, who guided the Olys to a 15-8 overall record and a third-place finish in the EMAC behind Rangeview and Prairie View.

Sophomore Kelsie Hurtado, the team leader in several statistical categories, is back and will serve as Gateway captain.

Aurora Central coach Paul Reyes graduated his primary players with club experience, leaving a different look to a group led by senior Maria Martin. Amanda Riser is hoping for improvement at Hinkley in her second season as well.

Simon Moorwood takes over the Vista PEAK varsity program after a few seasons in charge of the middle school team on the same campus. The 4A Bison have a senior class for the first time.