FOUNTAIN - Just a few weeks ago, simply making the postseason seemed like a long shot for the Lutheran boys volleyball team.
The season’s early struggles were a distant memory, however, as the seventh-seeded Lions completed an epic run to end the season and became Class 4A state champions with a three-set victory over top-seeded D’Evelyn Saturday evening at Trojan Arena at Fountain-Fort Carson High School.
First-year head coach Nick Brown’s Lutheran team finished the season on an eight-match winning streak that included a 25-18, 25-18, 25-17 defeat of the Jaguars.
“This is a two-year program and I came in not knowing what to expect,” Brown said. “These kids fought through so much. From where they started to where we are now is huge. We didn’t know if we were even going to make playoffs or make regionals, so this is beyond relief.”
Lutheran made its varsity debut in 2024-25 and finished with a 14-13 record. It ended this season with just a slightly better record (15-12), but it came with a state title.
The tide turned for the Lions after a loss to Pueblo South back on April 21, which put their record at 7-12 and created some question marks about how the season might end.
“We had a long talk, we watched some film and we said ‘You guys, this is it. You need to step it up' and they did, starting with (senior) Gavin Henderson," Nick Brown said. “He leads our team and without him, this team wouldn’t be what it is.”
Henderson, a 6-foot-5 middle hitter, loomed large for more than just his stature and his gaudy average of 2.5 kills per set on the season.
His simple presence was a rallying point for a team with a wide variety of underclassmen in key roles.
“I feel like it’s a balance, I’m showing them how to play volleyball, but I’m also learning from them,” Henderson said. “I really learned how to be better leader this season.”
Lutheran displayed a diverse offense from start to finish, but it was the defense that stood out.
Having a presence at the net in Henderson, 6-4 sophomore middle Brennan Crysler and 6-foot freshman Issac Brown loomed large, while freshman libero Ricky Xiao kept everything off the ground in the back row.
That had a frustrating effort for D’Evelyn (23-4), which kept the Confluence League champion from sustaining many rallies.
“Ricky definitely was carrying the defense and the outsides were phenomenal and reading the offense really well,” Isaac Brown said. “I’m so proud of all of them.”
All three sets start close, but Lutheran — which also picked up a 25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 25-20 victory over D’Evelyn in the championship semifinals — displayed the chemistry to expand the lead every time.
When the final point hit the floor, the Lions’ perseverance paid off.
“We finally did it, we came all this way,” Henderson said. “The seventh seed beat the first, second and third seed and we took it back and won state. …It is happiness and we put a lot of work in, so we deserved it.”
The boys volleyball team picked up the momentum from the rest of the Lutheran’s sports teams, which also won championships in softball and boys and girls basketball this school year.