Valley volleyball veering toward Colorado title

Two seasons ago, a young Valley (Gilcrest) volleyball team captured the Class 3A state championship. Led by sophomore standouts Courtney Chacon and Brynn Eckhardt, some believed a dynasty might be underway.

Then a knee injury tried to get in the way.

Playing club volleyball, Eckhardt tore her anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee prior to her junior season. A recurrence of the injury during rehab prevented her from taking the court at all last season.

Still talent-rich, Valley went 26-3 and advanced to the semifinals with Eckhardt simply watching from the bench.

Well, look who's back. Eckhardt has rejoined Chacon and the rest of her skilled Vikings teammates this fall, and the results speak for themselves. Valley is 23-0 heading into regionals. The Colorado High School Activities Association will release pairings Monday.

"I'll tell you, having Brynn back has been a blessing," Valley coach Rene Aafedt said. "She just adds so much; it's like an intangible. I mean, she gets kills, but she's not the kill leader. She helps everywhere. She just brings a calmness and a confidence with her."

Valley has been ransacking opponents, usually in straight sets. In fact, the Gilcrest-based Vikings have lost only one set all season, and that was in a win against 4A Thompson Valley (Loveland). That win was special anyway, because when the Vikings went 29-1 en route to the title in 2010, Thompson Valley was the one loss.

With ample contributions from Chacon, Emily Dellenbach, Patty Esch and sophomores Layne Pachl and Cori Aafedt (the coach's daughter), the Vikings are a legitimate contender to hoist the title trophy for the second time in three seasons. And Eckhardt doesn't have to watch anymore.

"I feel like I'm almost back to where I used to be before it got hurt. It's feeling good," Eckhardt said.

Initially, Eckhardt was bound to make a mid-September return last season. She wasn't overdoing the rehab, simply staying on pace. She had advanced to the bridge program, which helps train the brain to forget about the injury. During a side-to-side bunny-hop drill, it ruptured again.

That meant a season of watching from the sidelines.

"It was definitely hard, but it was a time where I grew not just as a person, but as a volleyball player," Eckhardt said. "I think it really helped me see volleyball from a different perspective."

Chacon, meanwhile, continued to excel. She led the Vikings with 354 kills last season and has a team-best 220 so far this season. Neither Chacon nor Eckhardt have selected a college yet, although Chacon is farther into the process without having the injury setback.

While their future home floors are uncertain, it's abundantly clear that the tandem is delighted to be back together on their current floor.

"It's great to have her back," Chacon said. "I love playing with Brynn because she brings so much energy to the court. She's just a great all-around player.

"Last year we did a great job for being so young," Chacon continued. "But as the freshman became sophomores, the sophomores became juniors and Patty, Anggie (Castillo) and I became seniors, we all grew as a team. We grew with Brynn, also, because she had so much to come back to."

Valley defeated northern neighbor University (Greeley) for the title in 2010 before losing to Colorado Academy (Denver) in the semis last season (Eaton beat CA in the championship game). But when one looks at the Vikings' 78-4 mark over the past three seasons, there's another hidden aspect that makes it even more remarkable.

During that span, the Valley softball team has also prominently excelled. The squad won it all in 2010 and 2011 and finished runner-up this season. The Vikings lost 3-2 to Strasburg last weekend in an extra-inning title game.

Typically in schools 3A or smaller, sports of the same gender in the same season don't achieve such lofty feats. This means, of course, that Valley must be amidst a strong cycle of girl athletes.

"It's too bad that softball and volleyball are in the same season," Rene Aafedt said. "We went down to state and watched them, and some of their kids are also good volleyball players. Haley Hutton went up to Wyoming with us in the summer when it looked like we were going to be short. They're all good athletes and they all get along. They'll meet up for basketball, so it's kind of nice that they'll get to play together."

For now, the softball team can watch the volleyball team's playoff run. If the Vikings get it done, they'll be even with their softball counterparts: two championships in three seasons.

Teams such as St. Mary's (Colorado Springs) (18-1), Middle Park (Granby) (19-2), Roaring Fork (Carbondale) (17-2), Bayfield (17-2), Platte Valley (Kersey) (14-5) and defending champion Eaton (17-6) are among those standing in the way.

"If we have the discipline and focus, we definitely have a chance," Chacon said. "We just have to come together in these final few weeks and just play with heart."