4A girls volleyball: Thompson Valley caps emotional run with program’s first state title

COLORADO SPRINGS – Emotional energy has way of being the fuel for an outstanding achievement or seeds of nervousness that can cause a letdown.

Thompson Valley enter the Broadmoor World Arena filled with emotional energy. And it was the kind that could power busloads of celebrating kids back up north to celebrate a Class 4A girls volleyball state championship.

The Eagles needed three wins. A loss ended any championship hopes. They got through Mead with little trouble. They salivated at the thought of a rematch with Niwot. The Cougars had gotten a 3-2 win earlier in the year and in the semifinals, Thompson Valley returned the favor. All that was standing in the way was Cheyenne Mountain.

The Red-Tailed Hawks were one of just three teams to a 4A title since 2008. The other two were Cheyenne Mountain’s league rivals Lewis-Palmer and Palmer Ridge. History was on the side of the Hawks.

But the fuel of the Eagles’ emotional energy negated any historical advantage. Thompson Valley battled to a 26-24, 25-21, 25-21 win to claim its first girls volleyball title in school history. “I’ve been knowing coaching long enough to know that Lewis-Palmer has been a powerhouse and Cheyenne Mountain and them would go back and forth for a few years and then Palmer Ridge (got in the mix),” coach Lester Thorne said. “But I didn’t know they’ve own that spot for that long. But they better watch out because all my good kids are young.”
 

And they’re talented.

Of the three top hitters for the Eagles (24-6 overall) in the match, one is a sophomore, and one is a freshman. Senior Jordan Duzenack led the attack with 12 kills. But sophomore Chloe Duzenack had 10 and freshman Tatum Sharp had eight. The Eagles have four impact freshmen or sophomores that will be returning next season.

And that means high expectations for the next several years.

“I’m so proud to play on a team that I can play with for the next three years,” Sharp said. “Hopefully we can do this again.”

It’ll be hard to do it in the same fashion that they did this year. The win against Mead triggered the three-match winning streak that Thompson Valley needed to claim the title, but that initial win also gave them a chance for revenge. Niwot had won a 3-2 thriller on Sept. 9 and it was a match that the Eagles felt they could have, and should have won.

“We have been waiting for that rematch,” Jordan Duzenack said. “And a heart never runs out of gas. We really wanted this. We had the drive, we had the fire and we had the want.”

They also had some additional motivation. On the bench sat a teammate and a friend, Zoe Rollins. A car accident last year left her paralyzed, but she and the Eagles are hopeful that she can someday make a return to the court.

“Our hope is that she can serve a little bit for us next year,” Thorne said. “That’s what we’re hoping for that she can stand up here a little bit and serve.”

If any additional motivation was needed, it came as her teammates rallied around her and handed her the state championship trophy. It was a team effort and she has been there very step of the way.