DENVER – Throughout the high stakes Class 5A state championship match Saturday night, Valor Christian girls volleyball coach Jayne McHugh sat calmly on the bench and just watched her team respond.
Even when third-seeded Rock Canyon threw some major adversity their way, McHugh let her veteran team play through the chaos and the top-seeded Eagles did so, repeatedly, during a 25-12, 25-19, 25-23 victory that brought the program its first state championship since 2018.
But McHugh couldn’t hold the emotion back when she saw her team hoist the championship trophy and celebrate with its large student section at the Denver Coliseum. That brought tears.
“I’m just so proud, this has been a special group since day one,” McHugh said. “The way that they play with each other and love each other throughout ace serves or blocked balls or whatever, it is a pleasure to be a part of. I have the utmost trust in every one of these girls and they have it in each other. You can tell when they win like that.”
On top of the state championship came the rarity of an undefeated season.
The Eagles sliced through the state tournament with only one lost set (which came in the semifinals against No. 3 Rampart and finished the season 29-0.
“Undefeated, it doesn’t get much better than that,” senior middle blocker Sasha Cohen said.
Added McHugh: “It’s not normal. I kept telling these girls that what they are doing is not normal and to make sure they cherish every moment because its fleeting.”
Finishing off the undefeated season meant going through a Rock Canyon team that had outlasted Grandview in the other semifinal to earn a chance to win the program’s first state title.
Coach Angela Nylund-Hanson’s Jaguars (24-5) dropped the first set in lopsided fashion, but gained confidence in each of the next two sets.
Buoyed by the play of sophomore outside hitter Alivia Eikenberg, Rock Canyon hung around in the second set, but McHugh resisted the temptation to call a time out and instead let her Valor Christian team play.
“It helps us out because sometimes when we get in time outs, we get in our heads a little bit,” said Cohen, one of several seniors who were on the team that lost in the 2019 state title match to Chaparral.
“It’s all better when we work it out as a team,” she said.
Added sophomore setter Chloe Elarton: “We all just rely on one another and bring each other up, so that’s how we get out of tough situations. It’s very steady."
Rock Canyon again kept coming in the third set and held a 17-15 lead, but just couldn’t overcome Valor Christian’s composure in clutch spots.
The Eagles evened it up on kills by senior outside hitters Skyla Morgan and Erin McNair and battled all the way down to the wire before prevailing. The match was clinched when an attack from Rock Canyon’s Alina Hajewski landed wide, prompting Valor Christian players to pile on each other in the middle of the court.
It capped a tournament in which the Eagles served well, passed well and came through against whatever was thrown at them to win a tournament with a slew of quality teams.
“This does not feel real and I’m proud of every single one of these girls,” Elarton said. “We’re all best friends and I’m so glad I could it with this group. …It’s happy ending for our seniors and I’m so happy for that."