Colorado high school volleyball teams face tough slate of games in season's second half

Class 5A
Grandview (Aurora) at Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village), Sept. 30, 7 p.m.
The top two teams in 5A have a huge showdown this week, with both league championship and playoff seeding implications at stake. Carter Booth and Kaegan Wherry have been solid hitters for the Bruins, combining to total 239 kills. Booth also leads the team with 58 blocks.

Grandview has looked every bit as good as last year with Emerson Deferme leading the attack with 109 kills. Brenna Kelly has been a huge asset defensively as she has 108 digs for the Wolves.

Chaparral (Parker) at Highlands Ranch, Oct. 1, 7 p.m.
Chaparral's only losses have come at the hands of Grandview, and the Wolverines are looking to prove they still belong at the top tier of 5A teams. This week's clash with Highlands Ranch will be the test they need to pass. Katie Dalton leads the Wolverines attack with 159 kills and also has 29 service aces to her name.

Jolie Cranford leads a Falcons team that has three players with more than 100 kills. She has 202, while Dani Cranford has 121 and Lillie Lynch has 104.

This showdown should be a treat for fans of big-level hitters.

Player of the year candidates
Jolie Cranford, Highlands Ranch: What makes her classification-leading 202 kills all the more impressive is that she has two teammates also totaling over 100 kills apiece.

Tierney Barlow, Liberty (Colorado Springs): While Barlow doesn't have the total number of kills that a lot of 5A hitters have, her 5.5 per set are the best among the group.

Izzy Starck, Rampart (Colorado Springs): One of the more versatile players in the state, Starck hits when she's in the front row and has 113 kills. When in the back row, she sets and has 150 assists to her credit.

Class 4A
Palmer Ridge (Monument) at Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs), Oct. 19, 6:30 p.m.
A rematch of the state semifinals, this showdown between league rivals will help clear up a muddy league title picture in the 5A/4A Pikes Peak Athletic Conference. Eva Larochelle and Madison Wilson have picked up the primary hitting duties for the Bears, totaling 98 and 97 kills, respectively.

Cheyenne Mountain loaded up its non-league schedule and suffered losses to Cherry Creek and Chaparral. A five-set battle to Rampart also ended with the Red-Tailed Hawks taking a loss, but by no means is there any worry surrounding this team. Karlee Pinell leads the Hawks with 91 kills, and Jessie Duytschaever has been crucial to that effort with her 277 assists.

Erie at Windsor, Oct. 19, 6:30 p.m.
Since dropping its season opener to Loveland, the Tigers have looked nearly unstoppable on the court. Maggie Olson has been steady offensively as she leads the team with 101 kills. It will be interesting to see how she matches up with the Wizards' net protectors.

Windsor has a total of 79 blocks on the year, with Annika Jones accounting for 33 of them.

The Tigers won the first match between these two teams, but with Round 2 at Windsor, it could very easily produce a different result.

Player of the year candidates
Kinley Lindhardt, Frederick: One of two big hitters for the Warriors, Lindhardt has 163 kills on the season, which has helped the team claim a 14-1 record.

Madisen Matoush, Montrose: Having played 10 fewer sets than Frederick, Matoush has shown the same ability to put the ball down as Lindhardt. The Indians hitting duo of Matoush and Kelsey Rocco have Montrose hunting for a Western Slope title.

Ashlyn Tafoya, Thompson Valley (Loveland): Just a freshman, Tafoya has emerged as one of the top setters in the state as she leads the entire state with 478 assists.

Class 3A
Resurrection Christian (Loveland) at Eaton, Oct. 26, 6:30 p.m.
A sweep of Sterling certainly got everyone paying attention to Rez Christian, but a win over Eaton will cement its place as the 3A team to beat this year. The Cougars have been sound across all aspects of the game, and it has been a true team effort. They total 267 kills on the season, but Reagan McWhinney leads the way with just 65.

A three-match losing streak to start the season wasn't ideal for Eaton, but the Reds have found a way to rebound. They won seven straight before dropping a league match against Sterling. Emily Maske leads Eaton with 102 kills, while Sydney Mills has tried to shut down opposing hitters and has 25 blocks.

Sterling at Lutheran (Parker), Oct. 9, 1 p.m.
A rare late season non-league game has Sterling and Lutheran looking for a big matchup to get each other battle-tested going into the postseason. The Tigers were the 3A runner-up a year ago and are determined to once again reach the final match on the court of the Broadmoor World Arena. Sydney Henry will be a big part of that as she leads the team in kills (117) and service aces (30).

Lutheran's only in-state loss this season was to Eaton, the defending state champion, so it knows the match against Sterling is crucial. The Lions are balanced on the attack with Audrey Brgoch leading the team with 71 kills. Both Katrina Deering and Riley Howerzyl have more than 100 assists this season.

Player of the year candidates
Samantha Chavarria, Sheridan (Denver): In 155 attempts, Chavarria has put down 61 service aces, which leads the state, regardless of classification. She has been deadly this season when the ball is in her hand to start a volley.

Annie Fusco, Bayfield: A tough non-league slate has the Wolverines at .500 on the season, but Fusco has been a dominant hitter, totaling 147 kills while hitting .396.

Avery Wright, Montezuma-Cortez: Another dominant hitter in the classification, Wright has 160 kills and averages 4.3 per set, which is near the top of the leaderboard.

Class 2A
Holyoke at Sedgwick County (Julesburg), Oct. 26, 4 p.m.
With two league losses under its belt, it's going to be tough for Holyoke to battle back and make this late season showdown a league title clash. But it can certainly carry a lot of weight when it comes to playoff seeding.

The Dragons boast a pair of big hitters in Kristin Vieselmeyer and Elise Krogmeier, who have combined for more than 300 kills. It will be interesting to see how they match up with Cougars freshman Abigail Dille, who has been solid defensively with 130 kills. If she can limit the Holyoke hitting attack and get the offense set up for Gabrielle Powell (116 kills) the Cougars should enter the postseason as the state-title favorite.

West Grand (Kremmling) at Meeker, Oct. 1, 4 p.m.
There appears to be just one final roadblock in front of Meeker when it comes to the 2A/1A Western Slope title. West Grand has been solid during the course of the season. The Mustangs' offense is spread out between Alex Schake (90 kills) and Maddie Probst (81 kills), and it has been a strategy that has worked well.

The problem is going to be countering the Cowboys attack centered around Emma Luce. A junior, Luce is one of the best hitters across the state, regardless of classification. She has 242 total kills and is averaging 6.7 per set.

Player of the year candidates
Karly Godsey, Wray: With the unenviable task of facing each team's biggest hitters, Godsey has responded very well, totaling 61 blocks, which is tops in the class and top-five in the entire state.

Emma Luce, Meeker: Her 242 kills lead the entire state, regardless of classification, and they have kept Meeker's record flawless this season.

Trista Marx, Limon: A respectable hitter in her own right, her 4.8 kills per set have had a big impact for the Badgers as they eye a deep playoff run this season.

Class 1A
Fleming at Merino, Oct. 28, 4 p.m.
As far as highly anticipated matchups go, Merino and Fleming might be the at the top of the list across all classifications. It was the Wildcats who were up 2-0 over the Rams in the state championship match last spring. A furious rally resulted in Merino cashing in on its first volleyball title since 2001.

The Rams have played sound volleyball, dropping just once match on the season, a 3-2 defeat against Sedgwick County. Kally Kirkwood has Fleming playing sound volleyball as she has totaled 152 kills so far this season. Whitney Chintala has chipped in with 99 kills and leads the team with 137 digs.

Wiley vs. Briggsdale, Sept. 30, 3 p.m.
Briggsdale might be slightly underrated in the 1A ranks considering the teams it has beaten this fall. The Falcons have pulled out victories against Haxtun and Fleming and have lost only to a top 2A squad in Sedgwick County. Kylie Krise is a tough hitter for teams to defend as she averages nearly four kills per set.

Wiley sits at No. 3 in the MaxPreps rankings thanks in big part to an unbeaten record. The Panthers have looked dominant along the way, dropping just three total sets through their Sept. 27 win over Granada. No single player has been overly dominant offensively. Demi Wollert leads the team with 458 kills, while Fatima Gomez has 47 to go with 64 digs and 13 service aces.

Player of the year candidates
Kendyl Eddleman, La Veta: Eddleman is as accurate as she is powerful. The junior has totaled 126 kills and is hitting .320, which is best for any hitter with at least 100 kills on the year.

Peyton Nicklas, Briggsdale: The junior for the Falcons has excelled in several areas, but finding hitters is certainly the best. She's averaging 9.3 assists per set for a team that has emerged as a legitimate championship contender.

Allie Thompson, Haxtun: There can't be any talk of great offensive players this season without mentioning Thompson. She leads the classification with 169 kills and averages 4.3 kills per set.