4A girls volleyball: Palmer Ridge wins rivalry matchup with Lewis-Palmer

DENVER – Local rivalries are indisputably one of the best features of high school sports. In the uncommon instance when a cross-town rivalry is reprised on the big stage in the postseason, the intensity gets ratchetted up several notches.

On Friday at the Colorado girls volleyball state championships, Monument rivals Palmer Ridge and Lewis-Palmer took the court as heated adversaries once again. This time, the court was under the bright lights of the Denver Coliseum. This time, the match was scheduled in the Class 4A state quarterfinals.

This time, it was No. 1 Palmer Ridge that won 25-23, 25-17, 25-21 against fifth-seeded Lewis-Palmer to secure a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.

“Every time we see LP, it’s kind of a big deal,” Palmer Ridge junior LaRochelle said. “They’re just such a big competitor for us and even during the regular season, our crowds are so huge against them. Especially now at the state tournament, it gives us a ton of energy to beat our cross-town rival to move into the semifinals.”

Palmer Ridge also got the better of Lewis-Palmer during the regular season, sweeping a pair of Pike Peak Athletic Conference matches. Back in the semifinals where their season ended last fall, the Palmer Ridge Bears will look to ride the momentum they gained from Friday’s rivalry contest when they play at Noon on Saturday.

“It’s really fun for the girls because they know a lot of their girls from living in the same town and we get to see them twice in our league,” Bradley said. “I think that really prepared us, just knowing their tendencies and their style. Obviously the third time around, you don’t know what kind of improvements have been made and LP has had a good showing at the state tournament.

“I think our girls were just really pumped up for that cross-town rivalry again, so the energy is a huge piece and a huge factor that can go good or bad. Confidence is everything in this sport and we have so many offensive weapons and a lot of strong defensive players as well. It’s nice to know that whoever you put out on the court, you’re going to have six stepping up at all times. I think a lot of our confidence comes from that.”

Elsewhere in the quarterfinals, defending champion Thompson Valley continued its tournament dominance with a 25-15, 25-11, 25-12 sweep of No. 3 Windsor. The Eagles have not lost a game in the tournament and have allowed more that 15 points in just two of the six games they have played.

Still alive for a semifinals berth, Lewis-Palmer will face No. 6 Niwot in the quarterfinals of the elimination bracket at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. In the other elimination bracket quarterfinal, No. 3 Windsor will face No. 4 Lutheran.