Fairview making plenty of noise in Colorado 5A volleyball ranks

To fully appreciate where the Fairview (Boulder) volleyball team is at more than halfway through the 2014 season, a bit of a flashback is in order.

Last November the Knights were swept in the Class 5A Region 9 tournament by Rampart (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Ralston Valley (Arvada). It wasn't a pleasant way to end the season, but it was a lesson that Fairview took to heart.

"We had really solid matches at regionals against both of those teams. I think we got a taste of what that next level is like," Fairview coach Brooke Simmons said. "We were able to compete with those teams and I think we had an idea of what it would take to be back, competing with those teams again with the goal of making it to the next level."

With the postseason a little more than a month away, those two opponents from last year are both ranked in the CHSAANow.com prep poll – Rampart is currently No. 1, and Ralston Valley is seventh. The difference this year is that Fairview has made serious strides and is ranked fourth overall. It is the only undefeated team remaining in the 5A ranks headed into Tuesday night's Front Range League tilt against Fort Collins.

It's safe to say the Knights (11-0, 4-0 in FRL) have been the biggest surprise thus far, and the team doesn't want to lose any momentum headed into the heart of the league schedule.

"I knew going in that our team had really good chemistry. When we worked well and worked hard, we could do really good things," Knights senior Bailey MacInnis said. "As the season started and we had that first tournament, it really showed we could do whatever we put our minds to – it's just been a lot of fun.

"But honestly I never would have imagined we'd be undefeated at this point in the season."

"That first tournament" MacInnis was referring to was the Cherry Creek Bruins Classic. Fairview dispatched Arvada West, The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs) and Doherty (Colorado Springs) before taking down Lakewood in the semifinals.

That set up a showdown with the host Bruins, a 2013 state semifinalist. The match was a drawn-out affair, but in the end the Knights emerged with a 25-23, 31-33, 15-8 victory.

"I thought that was really a turning point in our season," Simmons said. "We never questioned the strength of our team, but coming into that tournament and playing consistent volleyball every match … I think it was exciting and just a little bit of a confidence-builder in ‘this is where we are and we are competing against other ranked teams.'"

Three consecutive victories against Front Range League opponents followed that match, and the Knights have been getting the job done with a mixture of youth and experience. MacInnis, who is second on the team with 93 kills, and libero Mari Jewell have been on varsity since they were sophomores. The team has seven seniors in all, and Simmons said their leadership has been invaluable.

Sophomore twins Caroline Schmiedeler and Christine Schmiedeler and fellow sophomore setter Audrey Cheng competed on varsity as freshmen, and all three have been clutch again this season. Caroline leads the team with 112 kills and Christine ranks third, with Cheng averaging 7.3 assists a set.

"I think that we have a great group of players who are all on the same page. We are all working together every single day, and they all are really working toward the same goal," Simmons said. "I think we have a good combination of having balanced skills and then also a great combination of team chemistry and work ethic."

MacInnis admits there is some pressure that has come with the team's early success, but the key has been to maintain focus on playing their game 100 percent of the time, no matter what the team's ranking may be.

The other factor driving the team is serving notice to others that Fairview volleyball is a contender. This is the best start the team has had in Simmons' 10 years with the program.

"It's seriously something we're striving for," MacInnis said. "Obviously we're focusing on us as much as we can, but it is a big deal to represent our school. A lot of other sports have done it, but this is the first year we've really had a shot."