One of the curious things about the win was that the Chargers were not led offensively by Ali Longo, their dynamic outside hitter/setter. She still had a big total of 13 kills, but had a few problems with wide sets and down balls, so she also had 12 hitting errors. Instead, Chatfield got 21 kills from Mary Pollmiller, Longo’s positional counterpart, and she had only three hitting errors.
Heading into the regular-season finale at Columbine, Chatfield was 15-3 and lost only to Mullen, Rampart and Ponderosa. So, with wins over Chaparral, Pine Creek, Regis Jesuit and the revenge rematch at Rampart, the question is just how good Chatfield can be.
"I think this team can be great," Chargers coach Stephanie Schick said. "I think this team is relaxed when they play and that allows them to be relaxed when they make mistakes and not panic about them.
"Their skills obviously are great. They obviously work hard. But it’s really their attitude and the atmosphere on the court that makes them different from other teams."
In league, Chatfield had lost only two sets, one each to Pomona and Ralston Valley. Longo and Pollmiller continually demonstrate a great feel for setting the other and each is skilled at doing what it takes to beat the block.
Longo generally powers right through opposing hands and Pollmiller often goes around them. The Ralston Valley match also showed the hitting ability of senior middle blocker Erin Conn, who had six kills, four in the third set, and only one hitting error.
"I thought Gracie Newkirk, our other middle, did pretty good too," Schick said. "Those are the players we need to involve in order to go to the next level."
Ralston Valley will finish third in the league. It was led by Hanna Gibeau, who had 13 kills and four blocks, and seven kills each from Jordan Banich and Keri Knight.
"We’re planning on having a really good practice (Thursday) and working on the things we struggled with (against Ralston)," Gibeau said. "After we get that covered, we should be ready to go on Friday (at Bear Creek)."
Pride and sadness
Ralston Valley celebrated its 10th anniversary at the match, inviting players from every season who were honored in a pregame ceremony. Some of the big names from the past were there, but a glaring absence was Lindsay Savage, who died unexpectedly in 2004, just a year after graduating. Mustangs coach Lisa Nelson gave a moving speech about how inspirational and klutzy Savage was, and announced an award will be given by the team who best exemplifies Savage’s dedication and academic achievement.
Highway robbery
The Dalton Gang pulled off its biggest caper Wednesday night. In other words, Chaparral came back steal a win against visiting Ponderosa. Ponderosa (18-1) was Colorado’s top-ranked team regardless of classification, but the Wolverines (15-4) got away with a 24-26, 21-25, 25-19, 25-21, 15-11 victory in front of a big home crowd. Chaparral (15-4) was led by Nicole Dalton’s 21 kills, while older sister Karlie pumped in three aces.
Karlie Dalton, Chaparral
Photo by Ray Chen
"After we lost the first two, I was just like, ‘Oh my goodness, what are we going to do?’" Nicole Dalton said. "I sat quietly and said ‘I have to pick this team up. I have to take lead.’ I talked to (Mikinzie Moydell) about it, too."
Right-side hitter Skylar Johnson also excelled with 14 kills and some excellent serves.
"We kind of all decided collectively that we were going to go all-out, for every single point," Johnson said. "We had nothing to lose, so every point mattered."
Ponderosa was in shock after the match. Caitie Breaux had 17 kills for the Mustangs and Kendall Howard had 31 digs, but it wasn’t enough.
"I think maybe we were kind of overconfident (after the second set)," Breaux said. "I wouldn’t say that was the main factor. We started thinking, ‘Oh, we’ve got this.’ We weren’t expecting them to come back."
Continental drift
The district tournament situation in the Continental League is certainly in chaos after Chaparral’s win over Ponderosa. If Highlands Ranch beats Regis late Thursday, then the Falcons finish first, Chaparral second and Ponderosa third. All three have one league loss. If Regis wins, then it will be, in order, Chaparral, Ponderosa and Highlands Ranch. Mustangs coach Rob Graham is not pleased at the prospect of falling to third with only one loss all season, but he knows the toughness of his league.
Centennial showdown
The situation is even more complicated in the Centennial League, coming down to the last matches of the regular season. As of Thursday, Cherry Creek, Grandview and Mullen all have one league loss, but Mullen is classified in 4A, so the 5A district host gets complex if the Mustangs win the league title. Of note, Mullen will have claimed a share of the Centennial League title with a win against Cherokee Trail on Thursday. It would be the first Centennial League volleyball title for the Mustangs.
Pouring on the Coal
Coal Ridge has a so-so record, just below the .500 mark, but the Titans have turned in some big wins lately. Coal Ridge handed Roaring Fork its only loss of the season, a nice turnaround from getting swept by the Rams in the season opener. The Titans also defeated Hotchkiss, so coach Denise Green’s team is coming around late in the season. Green left Glenwood Springs a few years ago to start up the new program at Coal Ridge.
District tournaments
Volleyball's second season begins early next week, with district play in Class 2A and 1A, with the district events for Class 5A, 4A and 3A scheduled for Oct. 30-31. Check MaxPreps for schedules. Also, the Class 3A Tri-Peaks and Frontier leagues will stage crossover tournaments this weekend.
The schedules:
Frontier League
Saturday
at Middle Park High School
Middle Park vs. The Academy/Bennett, 2 p.m. (if Bennett beats Jefferson Academy on Oct. 23, it will play in this spot. If Bennett loses that game, it will play Sheridan).
Jefferson Academy vs. Platte Canyon, 4 p.m.
Losers at 6 p.m., Winners at 8 p.m.
at Clear Creek High School
Clear Creek vs. Arrupe Jesuit, 2 p.m.
Sheridan vs. The Academy/Bennett, 4 p.m.
Losers at 6 p.m., Winners at 8 p.m.
at Lake County High School
Lake County vs. The Pinnacle, 2 p.m.
Denver Science & Technology vs. Jefferson, 4 p.m.
Losers at 6 p.m., Winners at 8 p.m.
Tri-Peaks League
Saturday
Colorado Springs Christian at St. Mary's, 2 p.m.
The Classical Academy at Lamar, 1 p.m.
Manitou Springs at Rye, 1 p.m.
Salida at Trinidad, 1 p.m.
Buena Vista at La Junta, 1 p.m.
Peyton at James Irwin, 1 p.m.
Florence at Dolores Huerta, 1 p.m.
MaxPreps Colorado editor Gerry Valerio contributed to this report.
