Niwot volleyball takes down rival Silver Creek

After coming into the week ranked fifth in Class 4A, the Niwot volleyball team proved itself worthy on Sept. 1 by cruising past Silver Creek in four sets (25-14, 25-22, 22-25, 25-13).

Cougar head coach Daisha Agho said her team didn't care much for the ranking, it's the postseason that matters to them. With the likes of seniors Zoe Gibbs and Morgan Daugherty on the roster, those aspirations appear more than likely. Gibbs and Daugherty combined for 26 kills while junior Varshini Panuganti's steady hands recorded 19 digs.

The win was Niwot's second of the season following a season-opening defeat of Mead on Aug. 25. Silver Creek, meanwhile, fell to 0-5.

Packed student sections for both schools provided an electric atmosphere inside the Niwot gymnasium. The raucous crowd saw the Cougars storm off to an 11-2 start in the first set and a 25-14 win. Silver Creek then took an early 7-3 lead in set two but with a team as experienced as Niwot, the early deficit was soon overcome.

Freshman Anne Haley may not have the same experience as some of her teammates, but she once again impressed with her team-leading 33 assists. "She's really taking control of the offense," Agho said.

With a sweep in grasp, Niwot's momentum was soon lost, however, when Silver Creek took a 6-0 advantage in set three. The Raptors would keep the lead for their lone set win of the night. Agho said that too many missed serves were a large part of Niwot's undoing.

"That third set, we did not play our style of volleyball at all," Agho said. "I think they got a little bit tight. They were playing with their home crowd finally in season, we actually get to be in this environment and they just got a little tight."

From start to finish in set four, the Cougars regained their composure to close the match.

"We started thinking that the game was handed to us (after set two) and the second we realized that we had to fight for it, is really when it turned around for us," said junior Grace Demmel, who had a block solo.

At middle blocker, Demmel was a large part of Niwot's success according to Agho. Besides her height causing issues for opponents at the net, Demmel's role was often forgotten because she is tasked with simply helping her outside hitters.

"She's kind of a sleeper against a lot of teams," Agho said. "They don't pay attention to her much because we got the two outside and right side that go up in the front row with her... Ninety percent of those kills that my outside and right side get is because Grace is in the middle and was able to do her job and do it very well."

The heightened expectations surrounding a 2-0 start and a top-5 ranking haven't bothered Demmel in the least.

"We always hold ourselves to a high standard," Demmel said. "We know that we're fully capable of being ranked that high. I don't think it adds any extra pressure because we know

that we're capable."

Also playing up front was sophomore Addison Engel, who used her length to assist in three blocks. Niwot's height at the net blocked four Raptor shots on the evening.

The Cougars will open their 3A/4A Longs Peak League slate with a match at Mountain View on Sep. 7 before hosting Thompson Valley on Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m.