Bumped: Niwot's Class 4A title bid ends in semifinals

Going into its semifinal match at the 2021 Class 4A state championships on Nov. 13, the No. 6 seed Niwot volleyball team seemed well-nigh unbeatable. Behind seniors Zoe Gibbs and Morgan Daugherty, the Cougars efficiently dispatched three straight opponents in the early rounds at Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds among them. After that, a trip to the championship finals seemed inevitable.

Until it didn't. Niwot finally hit the wall against Longs Peak League foe Thompson Valley, just one step shy of its final goal. In an otherwise thrilling match, Niwot fell to the Eagles in five sets, 17-25, 25-17, 21-25, 30-28, 12-15, ending a highly successful season on a disappointing note. Afterwards, there were hugs and tearful goodbyes as both the seniors and the coach bid farewell to the program.

"There's a little sting that we didn't get any farther, but I'm so happy with how we did," Gibbs said after her final match in a Niwot uniform. Next year, the six-foot middle hitter has committed to play for the University of Northern Colorado. "We're such a well-rounded team all around, and it's just been so fantastic to be able to play with this group."

That depth was definitely on display during Niwot's first three matches, starting with the opener on Thursday, Nov. 11 against No. 12 seed Berthoud, another member of the Longs Peak League. From the opening whistle, Niwot controlled the tempo, and never allowed the Spartans to find their footing. Gibbs paced the offense with seven kills and six aces, while Daugherty, a South Dakota School of Mines signee, added 10 kills of her own. Niwot went on to win in three easy sets, 25-15, 25-13, 25-18.

"I feel like as a team, our first couple of points were more because of nerves, and then once we got that out, we got the feel for the court and the team that we were playing, and it was just all positive energy from there," Daugherty said afterwards.

Niwot's next two matches went largely the same way, even if the scores were a little closer. First up was Windsor, the No. 3 seed, and the team responsible for one of Niwot's three losses in the regular season. Not that it seemed to give Gibbs and company much pause. Like they did against the Spartans, Niwot started strong, and only got stronger as the match progressed, this time behind solid serving from Gibbs and junior librero Varshini Panuganti, who doesn't make a lot of headlines for the Cougars, but is one of the keys to their success this season, Agho said. The third-year starter ended the year with 389 digs and 49 aces, five of which came against the Wizards at state.

"She's one of the strongest kids I know in terms of emotional balance," the coach said. "She doesn't show a ton of hype, but she also doesn't show when she's really down. I know I can count on her every single match."

Niwot survived a first set scare to sweep Windsor 25-22, 25-11, 25-23. Junior Grace Demmel led the attack, with seven kills, while Daugherty and Gibbs had six each, as did junior Paige Demosthenes, including the winning point in the first set. She also had three aces and two blocks. Sophomore Addie Engle had the match-winner among her five kills, and also led the team in blocking with four.

Day two of the tournament brought Cheyenne Mountain, the No. 2 seed overall, and 2020 Season C semifinalist. Again, though, the Cougars showed no signs of being intimidated by the higher ranked team, and quickly put them away 25-20 in the first set, thanks to effective blocking by Demmel and Engle, who ended the match with five blocks each. Niwot took the second set 25-15, and then finally put the Hawks away with a 25-21 win in the third. Gibbs was the top attacker, with 12 kills, and she also had a pair of aces. Daugherty had eight kills, followed by Demmel with five and Demosthenes and Engle with three each. Freshman setter Anne Haley also had her second kill of the tournament.

"I think that's probably the best we've ever played," Agho said later.

Which is one of the reasons why the semifinal matchup against Thompson Valley on Saturday afternoon seemed very winnable. The Eagles were also coming into the match with one loss in the tournament, to Palmer Ridge in straight sets the previous day. That put them in the consolation bracket, where they had to beat Mead on Saturday morning to make it back into the semifinals. Niwot had also beaten Thompson Valley in one of its best regular season performances. So, seemingly, the Cougars had numerous advantages to work with against the Eagles, but, unfortunately, that's not how it turned out on the court.

Signs of trouble were evident for Niwot from the start, as errors mounted in the first set, and the Cougars' blockers couldn't find their timing. A slim 9-8 Niwot lead turned into a 9-16 deficit very quickly, and Niwot dropped its first set, 17-25, quieting an otherwise very vocal and supportive crowd.

But as would happen repeatedly in this match, the momentum suddenly shifted, and balls were suddenly falling Niwot's way, bringing the crowd to life. Behind a strong all around performance on attack, blocking, and serving, the Cougars took an early lead that they never relented, and won the second set 25-17.

There was more of that to come through most of the third set, until late, when errors caught up with Niwot once again. Leading 20-19, the Cougars gave up five straight points, and the eventual 21-25 loss gave Thompson Valley another advantage.

And then came the epic fourth set, a back-and-forth, edge-of-your seat thriller that seemed like it might never end. Led by an outstanding performance from Gibbs, Niwot held a steady lead through the first half, but Thompson Valley refused to quit, and even had a late four-point advantage. Niwot fought back to tie the game at 24-24, and then it was a contest to see which team could score two points in a row. After many heart-stopping moments, that turned out to be Niwot at 30-28, and the match was evened up.

Alas, Niwot's ability to battle back from the brink seemed exhausted after that, as did the team's ability to hold a lead. The fifth set ended anti-climatically at 12-15, leaving the Cougars and their fans a little stunned. Thompson Valley would go on to claim the Class 4A state title, after beating Cheyenne Mountain, another playback finalist, in straight sets.

"They're solid all the way around," Agho said of the Eagles. "The unforced errors on our side, especially in that first set, we just couldn't recover from some of those things. But that fourth set was phenomenal, and I'm really proud of the way we were able to pull that out, and the leadership from Zoe Gibbs and Varshini."

Gibbs ended the match with 15 kills, including three down the stretch in the fourth set. For the tournament, the senior middle had 40 total kills, eight aces, 40 digs. Agho said that her performance over the weekend showed the younger team members what it takes to succeed in the postseason, an experience Gibbs herself had when Niwot played in the Class 4A finals in 2018.

"I was excited for her to see this her freshman year, and then be able to take that experience and share it with the rest of the team," she said. "It gave her that leadership piece on prepping these girls for how to perform here. And she did that. It totally showed in that game against Cheyenne Mountain, which was huge."

Agho leaves the program after five seasons as head coach with a 91-33 record, four appearances in the postseason, and three in the Class 4A state tournament. Five seniors will also be departing, leaving the Cougars with some big shoes to fill in 2022.

"I told these guys in the huddle that they were one of the best teams I've ever had the privilege of coaching in my 20 years," Agho said. "So if I can go out on top with them, then that's the best I could hope for."

(See more photos from the Class 4A volleyball championships here.)