Niwot holds on to beat #3 Thompson Valley

It was a night of big kills, big digs, and even bigger comebacks as #5 ranked Niwot took on #3 Thompson Valley in an edge-of-your-seat thriller that spanned five back-and-forth sets. Behind UNC-bound senior Zoey Gibbs, the Cougars overcame 5+-point deficits at least three times, including in the decisive fifth set to take the match. Afterwards, fifth-year head coach Daisha Agho was quick to credit an unsung part of the team for its role in the hard-fought win.

"I can't even tell you how proud I am of the defensive effort that they made," Agho said after the 3-2 victory (22-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-27, 17-15) on Sept. 9. "Thompson Valley is very good. They are ranked right where they should have been. It was a very evenly matched game, and for our defense to pick up like we did, I was proud of them for that."

Even early on, it was clear that the match was destined to go the distance. The Cougars jumped out to a 5-2 lead to start the first set, but it didn't last, and soon it was Niwot trying to catch up. After breaking a 16-16 tie, Thompson Valley took a lead they wouldn't relinquish, and though Niwot kept it close, the Eagles went on to win 25-22.

"We've been struggling with the starting piece," Agho said. "Even if we're serving, we struggle at the start. We just aren't focused enough to make a play. They try to be too perfect instead of just making a play and staying in the game."

There was nothing slow about Niwot's start in the second set, nor did the Cougars relinquish their early lead. Led by Gibbs with eight kills, the Cougars were in control the entire time, and finally won 25-17. Gibbs would go on to have 22 kills, nine digs, three aces, and three blocks on the night.

The Eagles seemed destined to regain that control in the third set, and were up by six points before Niwot seemed to realize what was happening. After a timeout, the Cougars settled down and started chipping away at Thompson Valley's lead. Soon, the score was once again tied at 16-16, but this time it was Niwot who came away with the set win, thanks to crucial blocking and strong play from Gibbs and the other Cougars' middles.

The fourth set saw another slow start for Niwot, and this time the Eagles' lead got to nine points. Once again, Niwot clawed its way back to a tie, after long serving streaks for junior Paige Demosthenes and libero Varshini Panuganti. But after several lead changes and close calls, Niwot finally fell 27-25, forcing a fifth set.

"I like that our middles are getting more involved, and Morgan [Daugherty] is getting more involved, and even our back row," Agho said. "We're trying to get some of our back row attacking so we can alleviate a little of the pressure and stress on Gibbs."

Tensions were high in the home gym as play got underway in the final set, and neither team took the upper hand for several points. Finally, Thompson Valley built a 12-7 lead, and seemed on its way to the win, but the persistent Cougars mounted their final comeback, and an ace by freshman setter Anne Haley sealed a 17-15 win.

"I was very happy to see Anne keep her composure in a very stressful situation like that," Agho said. "We've been in a couple of close games, but to be in the fifth set match point and serve two in a row for us was huge."

Senior outside hitter Morgan Daugherty had nine kills for Niwot, while junior Grace Demmel and sophomore Addison Engle had eight each and Demosthenes had six. Panuganti led the team with 29 digs, followed by Demosthenes with 16, and junior Angie Xu with nine.

Though happy with the important league win, the coach also sees a few lingering problems for her players. But dealing with adversity the way they did against Thompson Valley definitely shows those problems are "fixable," Agho said.

"I'm just so proud of this team for being able to stick it out, and come back from the hole that they dug, and then be able to finish finally. There's still a lot of stuff that we need to work on, but it's all things that are in our control. With that being the case, we're excited and happy to be moving forward."