DENVER | While all five state volleyball champions crowned Saturday night were repeat winners, capturing consecutive titles is extremely difficult — especially in the increasingly competitive Class 5A ranks.
Only four times in the past 15 years in Colorado’s largest classification has a team won two straight state crowns and the Grandview volleyball team became the first to do it twice with a 25-17, 25-22, 25-17 sweep of Chatfield at raucous Denver Coliseum.
Minus the services of an integral group of seniors from 2013, coach Patty Childress’ Wolves struggled through an injury-riddled start to the 2014 season, but finished it with another state championship trophy in their hands in completing a two-peat bid that matched what they did in 2004 and 2005. Grandview also won a single title in 2007, but lost to Cherry Creek in the final the next year.
“Both years we did it, it was very tough; the first time it seemed like the kids didn’t have very good chemistry and this time with all the injuries and changes we had to make, it took awhile to come together for sure,” said Childress, who improved to 5-5 all-time in 10 championship match appearances since 2013.
Losing a senior class that included a variety of Division I signees, Childress knew she had a few key pieces to work with in Oregon-bound senior outside hitter Haley McLaren and senior middle blocker Katie Patrick, a Naval Academy recruit, but there were a lot of unknowns.
With two outstanding leaders and setters graduated in Kylie Copple and Alyssa Svalberg, Childress needed senior Megan Hufnagel — who had never played above the junior varsity level and is not a club player — to take over and get up to the speed of the varsity game quickly.
The Wolves also needed another player to step up and terminate consistently to compliment the two returning players. Childress hoped it would be senior Sarah Mullens — and it eventually was — but an injury prevented that from happening early on. All those elements added up to a 4-3 start to the season, atypical for Grandview teams, and an 0-2 hole to start Centennial League play.
But the Wolves got healthy, found the right rotations and took off. After a second five-set loss to rival Cherokee Trail on Oct. 2, Grandview won 14 of its last 15 matches with the lone loss coming to 4A state champion and nationally ranked Lewis-Palmer in five sets.
“It’s so good to go back-to-back; I know a lot of people didn’t think we could do it,” said Mullens, a defensive specialist on last season’s team who contributed 13 kills as a senior in the final.
“We didn’t start the season like we did last year and we don’t have the same record, but it just proves that no matter what, if you work hard, you can still get it done, no matter what team it is,” she added.
To get to the championship match, Grandview survived a flurry of challenges from Regis Jesuit in an all-Aurora semifinal, but eventually prevailed for a 26-24, 25-17, 25-23 victory. In pool play, the Wolves broke through against neighborhood rival Cherokee Trail with a five-set victory after dropping two five-setters to the Cougars in the regular season and cruised past Highlands Ranch.
In the final, Childress knew her team would have to contend with a hot team in 12th-seeded Chatfield, which denied top-seeded Eaglecrest a semifinal berth with a win in a one-set playoff, right after beating eighth-seeded Cherry Creek in a one-set playoff and a five-set pool play match.
The Chargers scrappy defense gave them an early lead in each of the three sets of the championship match, but as the points wore on, the Wolves eventually pulled away. Mullens began to find holes, Patrick (13 kills) pounded shots at the net, McLaren (10 kills) attacked from all angles and senior Tara Stillwell (24 digs) spearheaded the ball control.
“We knew after their defensive going in, so we knew we had to battle for points,” Patrick said. “We did our best, tried to get as many points up as we could and just battled.”
For a whole slew of new varsity contributors such as junior Madisen Busler, junior Franchesca Reed — a transfer from Overland — and Hufnagel, the championship proved very sweet.
Hufnagel wasn’t even on the bench with last season’s championship team due to the glut of setters in front of her, but was on center stage with 38 assists and 12 digs in the final victory.
“This is the best feeling in the world,” Hufnagel said. “It’s been a dream of mine for so long and now that it’s finally done, I just have no words to express it.”
For the holdovers from last season’s championship team, winning this one without the departed talent and in a much different way made it even more satisfying.
“Last year we were ranked No. 1 a lot of the time and we were really good throughout the year and had a lot of talent,” McLaren said.
“This year, we had heart. We weren’t the biggest team out there, but we fought each and every game to win. …Our school has a lot of traditions when it comes to winning and fighting hard.”
Added Patrick, who Childress called “driven” all year and slammed home championship point emphatically at the net: “Being a senior and knowing its my last year, there’s nothing more I wanted than to leave a legacy at this school.”
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
2014 CLASS 5A STATE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
Pool Play (Nov. 7)
Pool IV: No. 4 Rampart def. No. 9 Fairview 16-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-21
Pool I: NO. 1 EAGLECREST def. No. 12 Chatfield 25-23, 25-22, 19-25, 25-17
Pool II: NO. 2 GRANDVIEW def. No. 11 Highlands Ranch 28-26, 25-18, 25-17
Pool III: NO. 3 REGIS JESUIT def. No. 10 Legend 23-25, 23-25, 25-15, 25-20, 15-10
Pool IV: No. 4 Rampart def. No. 5 Chaparral 21-25, 25-20, 17-25, 26-24, 15-13
Pool I: No. 8 Cherry Creek def. NO. 1 EAGLECREST 14-25, 16-25, 25-17, 25-21, 16-14
Pool II: NO. 2 GRANDVIEW def. NO. 7 CHEROKEE TRAIL 25-23, 25-16, 20-25, 15-25, 15-7
Pool III: NO. 3 REGIS JESUIT def. No. 6 Pine Creek 16-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-20
Pool Play (Nov. 8)
Pool IV: No. 5 Chaparral def. No. 9 Fairview 25-23
Pool I: No. 12 Chatfield def. No. 8 Cherry Creek 22-25, 22-25, 26-24, 25-23, 16-14
Pool II: No. 11 Highlands Ranch def. NO. 7 CHEROKEE TRAIL 25-12, 25-21
Pool III: No. 10 Legend def. No. 6 Pine Creek 25-21, 25-19
Pool I tiebreakers (1 set): No. 12 Chatfield def. No. 8 Cherry Creek 25-22; No. 12 Chatfield def. NO. 1 EAGLECREST 25-21
Semifinals (Nov. 8)
No. 12 Chatfield def. No. 4 Rampart 25-21, 19-25, 25-21, 26-24
NO. 2 GRANDVIEW def. NO. 3 REGIS JESUIT 26-24, 25-17, 25-23
Championship
NO. 2 GRANDVIEW def. No. 12 Chatfield 25-17, 25-23, 25-17
