Niwot Volleyball splits

The Niwot Girls volleyball squad knocked off Severance, 3-0, on Wednesday, Sept. 21 on the road, but came up short the next night at home against a powerful and unbeaten Thompson Valley team, losing 3-0. Entering the week, the Cougars were ranked seventh in Class 4A by CHSAA Now.

Severance entered the game with a 5-1 record, but the Cougars took control early, with a 25-22 win in the first set. Niwot followed with a solid 25-16 win in the second set, and finished off the match with a 25-19 win in the third game.

Against Thompson Valley, it was a different story. The Cougars got behind early in the first set, and TV maintained a lead of approximately five points from early in the set, causing the Cougars to lose 25-17. In the second set, Niwot gave TV all they could handle. While the Eagles never lost the lead, they couldn't shake the Cougars. Paige Demosthenes won the point with a kill after a long volley to narrow the TV lead to one, but a service error ended the Niwot rally.

A great tip by Grace Demmel and an outstanding block by Demmel kept the Cougars close. The teams traded possessions with Demothsenes picking another kill, followed by two more by Addison Engle, preventing TV from pulling away. Hannah Waldron came up with a kill to cut the TV lead to 11-9, and kills by Demmel and Demothsenes helped Niwot stay in the game.

A block by Waldron left the Cougars down by one one at 14-13, but TV then went on a 6-1 run to set the margin of victory as the Cougars fell, 25-19.

The third set did not go well for Niwot as they were never in it despite several solid plays by Giselle Grier, losing 25-11.

Grier leads Niwot in kills, while Engel leads with blocks. Engel is also tops in hitting percentage.

Demosthenes has the most service aces, and Sami Sessa leads the team in digs and is also high in receptions. Setter Anne Haley leads in assists.

"We did not play badly," remarked head coach Tony Engel after the game. "That's the best team in the state, in any class," referring to unbeaten Thompson Valley. One of the referees confirmed Engel's evaluation, congratulating Engel on his team's performance, saying, "That's the first time they've been challenged in a long time."

The Cougars are 4-4 on the season.