Niwot volleyball: Experienced team looks for a way back to the post-season

The first thing you notice about Niwot’s varsity volleyball team is its towering height. “This is a tall group of girls,” chuckles Head Coach Preston Brown. At least four players stand taller than 6’0”, making the Cougars among the tallest teams in the league. But it’s not just the team’s outsized stature that’s driving the 4th year coach’s elevated expectations.

“This team is experienced,” Brown explained. “We have mental toughness, and there’s not a lot of drama.”

With five starters from last year’s varsity squad returning to the team, Brown is counting on that veteran mentality to propel the Cougars back to the top of the Northern League and back into Class 4A State Championship contention.

The Cougars will be led on this court this year by 6’2” junior Mackenzie Fidelak. Fidelak , entering her third season as a starter for the Cougars, was last year’s team leader in kills (231) and total blocks (65). She also led the Northern League in hitting percentage (.366).

Fidelak will be joined by seniors Brynn Chavez, Sarah Falk and Courtney Smoljan (who led the 2015 Cougars in aces and digs), as well sophomore Ashley Bradbury. Other returning varsity players include seniors Linnea Butler and Hana Hemstreet, junior Julia Stephenson, and sophomores Emma Falk, Zoe Gonzales, and Cecily Kirschling.

But Brown doesn’t necessarily expect this lineup to remain static. As the season progresses, the coach said he likes to see “fluidity” between the varsity and junior varsity lineups, a strategy which is designed to maximize court time for all of his players.

Though Brown is confident in his team’s abilities, he is also realistic about his Northern League opponents. “It’s a strong league,” he said. “Every year, there four or five teams who are a threat to make state.” This season, he expects to see Longmont (2015 Northern League champions), Thompson Valley and Mountain View all competing with Niwot for the league’s top spot.

“As long as we can stay healthy and work together as a team, we definitely have a shot,” Brown predicted. For a team that just two years ago won 20 matches and a league championship, a return to those winning ways is tantalizingly close.

Niwot’s 2016 volleyball season kicks off on Tuesday, September 6 against the Thompson Valley Eagles. Their first home match is September 13, against Northridge. The season concludes with the Class 4A State Championships, which will be held November 11-12 at the Denver Coliseum.