5A girls volleyball: No. 8 Grandview knocks out undefeated No. 1 Mountain Vista
Grandview decided sooner was better than later.
The No. 8 Wolves battled to a 27-25, 21-25, 25-17, 25-15 win over the Golden Eagles to send the No. 1 seed home for the weekend.
“We knew we had to be disciplined,” Haley Glunz said. “We had to be sharp on our game. We knew that we weren’t going to get every point and they were going to get theirs and that we would bounce back and get ours took.”
They set a tough tone in the first set as they edged out a 27-25 win. It was just the second set that the Golden Eagles had dropped all year and it was enough to give the Wolves confidence that they could advance through the first round.
“It was huge confidence booster,” Glunz said. “It showed us that we belong here and that we can fight with the big dogs.”
Mountain Vista claimed the second set to even the match, but the Wolves were able to pull away in the final to get the biggest first-round upset in any classification.
(2) Rampart 3, (7) Legend 0
Now the top seed in the tournament, Rampart looked strong in its 25-17, 25-15, 25-20 win over Legend. Riley Simpson and Anjelina Starck combined for 25 kills to lead the Rams offensively.
Rampart fell just one set short of making the semifinals last year but boast two Division I hitters in Simpson and Starck and are hoping utilize their power and make a championship run. Starck was recently named the girls volleyball Gatorade Player of the Year but noted that winning a state championship is a major goal for her and the team this season.
(4) Columbine 3, (5) Cherry Creek 1
Columbine took the first two sets to gain a clear edge over Cherry Creek in their first round match. The Bruins avoided the sweep with a win in the third set, but the Rebels held on to get the 25-19, 25-21, 14-25, 25-22 win.
This is the fifth straight win for the Rebels and they still only have one loss on the year. They fell to Ralston Valley on April 20 despite Abi Nua having a game-high 22 kills. She’ll be a crucial piece for the Rebels title game hopes come Thursday morning when they return to the Broadmoor World Arena for their semifinal match with Grandview.
(3) Ralston Valley 3, (6) Chatfield 0
Ralston Valley hadn’t dropped a match all year so there was no since in dropping one on the first night of the 5A girls volleyball state tournament. The Mustangs took care of Chatfield 25-22, 25-18, 25-22 to move into the 5A semifinals where they’ll face Rampart.
Neither Ralston Valley or Rampart has played in a state championship game so history is on the line regardless of which team comes away with the win.
The Rams and the Mustangs play at 11 a.m. Thursday.
