4A Girls Volleyball: Thompson Valley Takes Home 4A Title
By Carson Field
Not much stood in the way of Thompson Valley en route the 4A girls volleyball championship.
The No. 1-ranked Eagles completed their redemption journey on Saturday, beating No. 8 Lutheran 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-14) in the state title match. Thompson Valley’s title is its third in the last four years.
After falling to Palmer Ridge in last year’s title match, the Eagles had redemption on their minds. And throughout the season, their poise persisted and carried them to the title.
“I just love these girls so much,” senior Avery Gibbs said. “It’s been an honor to play with them the last four years. Three out of four is pretty cool, so I’m just really proud of everybody. It feels really surreal.”
Thompson Valley didn’t give its opponents many chances throughout the state tournament. The Eagles dropped just one set in the entire tournament. That set was actually Thompson Valley’s first of the tournament, as Windsor took it 27-25.
That early set loss was a wake-up call, and the Eagles never faltered after it, winning that match and three more (against Mead, Windsor again and Lutheran) to win state.
“Quite honestly, they were (upset),” Thompson Valley coach Lester Thorne said. “We were mad about last year and not being able to finalize it.”
The Eagles’ dominant state tournament was similarly dominant to their regular season. Thompson Valley went 22-1 before the postseason. The Eagles’ lone defeat came against Chaparral in four sets.
Gibbs is someone who entered the season knowing both feelings: the joy of winning a state title and the pain of losing one. That’s what Gibbs believes fueled their near-flawless season.
“We felt like the underdogs again,” Gibbs said. “We felt like we needed to reset and feel like we really needed to fight for it. I feel like that’s what we did. We practiced hard, and we played even harder.”
The Lions, who entered the tournament as the eight-seed, rallied to reach the title match. Lutheran lost to Windsor in the first round before winning four matches — against University, Montrose, Mead and Cheyenne Mountain — in a row. The Lions finish the season 21-10.
As for Thompson Valley, the Eagles had never won a volleyball state championship until 2022, when their dynasty began. Thorne believes the buy-in from his players — not his own coaching merit — has paved the way for their recent success.
“It’s all about them,” Thorne said. “I do very little to pump this team up and get them going. “People ask, ‘Does it get old?’ No. It doesn’t get old. It’s special. It takes a special group of kids.”
