COLORADO SPRINGS -- We must walk through the bushes.
 
Heading into the Broadmoor World Arena Saturday, the players of Sedgwick County wanted to keep with the routine they’d built the past two days — walk on the sidewalk for ¾ of the trek, then break through a path in the bushes to cut to the entrance door for teams. 
 
Other teams didn’t do the same, but that’s okay, because this year was all about paving new paths. No girls sport in school history had ever won a title, until now.
 
The Cougars topped No. 5 Holyoke in the 2A title game, 3-1 (25-10, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20) thanks in part to last year’s loss in the finals to Wiggins. This time around, they couldn’t let the opportunity go to waste. 
 
“These girls are unbelievable to work with,” senior and captain, Alison Woodhams said. “It was a superstition of ours, and we made it a joke. This just feels awesome, now.”  

It was the second time in the tournament the two teams had met, with the previous one going to five sets. 
 
From that match, the Cougars learned not to keep the Dragons hanging around — take the air out of the group as soon as possible. So, they rattled off a double-digit margin in the first set to set the tone. 
 
From then on, it was a practice in finishing an opponent. The team dropped the second set, and thoughts began to linger. 
 
“We started doubting ourselves (after the second-set loss) and I told them to believe in themselves,” coach Alissa Renquist said. “I told them I believed in them, our assistants believe in them and they’re the better team. They needed to just go out and do their thing.” 
 
Holyoke also played a part in the doubts. The first set saw the Dragons’ block fail to work on multiple occasions. Hitters for the Cougars were consistently finding open lanes, while blocking off their own. 
 
The team adjusted, blocking the Cougars stronger and shutting down the easy hitting lanes. 
 
For a team that walks through the fangs of bushes before matches, just to keep tradition, the hurdles weren’t painful. They were embraced — just like the challenge of winning a school’s first volleyball title. 
 
“The girls put in all the work to overcome,” Renquist  said. “They had this dream when they were eight and nine years old, so it means a lot to be the first girls’ team to win. They achieved a dream.”