2A Girls Volleyball: Simla Victorious for the First Time Since 1996
By Brad Cochi
Photo: Brad Cochi
DENVER – For the first time since 1996, the Simla girls volleyball team is the Class 2A state champion.
On Saturday night at the Denver Coliseum, the No. 1-seeded Cubs won 25-17, 25-14, 25-13 over No. 7 Sedgwick Count to claim their school’s first girls volleyball title in nearly three decades.
“This is just a special group of kids. That’s it,” Cubs head coach Kelly Kocerha said. “They’re just amazing kids and they have an amazing connection. They loved each other from the beginning. I don’t even know how to put it into words, they’re just special. They came into the year and wanted to work, and our goal was just how good can we get and can we be better tomorrow than we were today.
“They were willing to grind and they put in the work. They craved it and they put in the work and they asked for it. Each week in practice, they’re asking to do our toughest drills and that pays off. They paid every price and they’re motto was, ‘Earn It.’ And, boy, did they.”
The Cubs (27-2) jumped out to an early lead in the first set and never let up, sweeping the Cougars (24-8) in straight sets. It was a near repeat of the teams’ meeting during the regular season, in which Simla swept Sedgwick County on Nov. 1.
For a Simla program that has reached the state tournament frequently over the past several years, winning with a group that included several freshman starters this season was a bit of a surprise.
“They have put in a lot of time early in their lives, so I don’t know that they ever viewed themselves at an age,” Kocerha said. “They’re just extremely composed and extremely competitive. They just have driven each other as a group their whole lives and they have been dreaming of this moment their whole lives. It’s very cool.”
Simla now has three girls volleyball state titles in the school’s history.
Sedgwick County also has three state titles, and prior to Saturday’s finals had won three of the previous four championships.
To reach Saturday’s night’s finals, Simla swept No. 8 Wiggins in the semifinals. In the opposite semifinal, Sedgwick County won 3-1 against No. 6 Swink.
