NHS Volleyball sweeps first round of playoffs

Niwot High School girls volleyball made short work of its first round opponents in the state playoffs Nov. 5, sweeping Pueblo East High School and Steamboat Springs High School, 3-0, 3-0. Niwot entered the regionals as a host team, seeded seventh against Pueblo East (30) and Steamboat Springs (18).

Jade West, a member of the NHS volleyball team, began the morning with a powerful rendition of the National Anthem.

The first match against Pueblo East saw the Cougars trade points early. A great save by libero Varshini Panuganti pulled Niwot even at 5-5, and seemed to spark the team. Panuganti has been playing with a broken wrist, set in a soft cast, but that has not affected her play. Outside hitter Paige Demosthenes took it from there, blocking a Pueblo East hit, then getting the point on a kill. An ace serve by Giselle Grier gave the Cougars a 7-5 lead, but the Eagles battled back.

With Niwot down 9-8, a strong set by Anne Haley and a kill by Demosthenes pulled the Cougars even. With Haley serving, the Cougars went on a 4-point run, a kill by Hannah Waldron and a tip by Grace Demmel to keep a point alive that was eventually won on a kill by Demosthenes.

Grier took it from there, posting three kills on Niwot's next four points. Two serves by Addison Engel helped Niwot to a 21-17 lead. Demmel added a kill and Niwot gained a point on a block by Demosthenes before Haley wrapped it up with an ace from the service line, 25-18.

The second game was not close as Niwot was up 10-1 before Pueblo East began matching points with the Cougars. Demmel earned the second point with a push over the net that the Eagles could not handle. Demosthenes made it 4-0 with a powerful backline kill, then followed with an ace on her serve, Waldron added a kill, and Demosthenes blocked a Pueblo East shot, then followed with a dink to put Niwot up 8-1.

Sami Sessa followed with a high-arching serve that barely hit the back line for an ace, and Niwot went on a run of eight points with Sessa serving, putting the Cougars up 16-1. Grier had an outstanding save during the run and added a kill, while Haley saved a point with a strong bump on a kill shot, and Waldron added a kill.

A kill by Grier put the Cougars up 18-4, and Engel followed with a kill after Panuganti went all out to put a difficult shot over the net from the back row, keeping the ball alive. Engle, a 6'5" middle blocker, then reversed roles and set the ball to Haley, Niwot's 5'8" setter, who showed she could also execute a kill shot, putting Niwot up 20-6.

Pueblo East made a brief run, but a kill by Demmel off a perfect set by Haley made it 24-13, and Engle closed it out with a block and tip for the final point.

The third game was not a close contest as Niwot gradually pulled away. Haley started the set with an ace serve, and Waldron followed with a kill while falling off the court on the left side. Demmel followed with a kill to pull the Cougars into a 3-3 tie, and Engel followed with another kill off a perfect set by Haley.

Two terrific saves by Angie Xu helped Niwot take a 7-5 lead, and a save by Pantuganti followed by a block and bump by Haley and a kill by Engel made the score 8-5. Demosthenes picked up a kill, then followed with a block that helped Haley set up Engel for the kill shot, extending the Cougar lead to 10-5.

The Cougars gradually extended the lead and finished with a 25-18 victory. Niwot used a total of 10 players in the match, including Julia Dadey, who came off the bench to help the Cougars.

The second match of the day provided more of the same as the Cougars prevailed over Steamboat Springs in their last match at home, 3-0, to advance in the first round of the 2022 playoffs.

In the first set against Steamboat Springs, Haley started the Cougars off by serving to a 7-0 lead before the team cruised to a 25-12 win. Grier nearly took the team all the way home with her serves, bumping the score to 24-6 in the second set before the Cougars finally put the game away.

In the second set against Steamboat Springs, the Cougars dominated from the start, cruising to a 25-6 win.

After Niwot's convincing victories in the first two sets, Steamboat Springs came out hot and kept the score tied or close in the third set before Niwot pulled away, energized by Xu's strong service – a 5-point tear –gave the Cougars the lead at 9-5.

That's when Steamboat Springs made things exciting, closing the gap to 22-18, and 23-20 before succumbing 25-20. Engel led the team with 11 kills, followed by Waldron (9) and Demmel (8). Both Engel and Demmel's kill percentages were over 50%. Panuganti (13), Demosthenes (10) and Xu (9) led the squad in digs.

Niwot Coach Tony Engel was calm and unruffled throughout the matches and the team seemed confident and cohesive. Niwot's players exhibited an uncommon amount of patience as well, carefully setting and hitting point after point. Solid serving didn't hurt either.

Next up, on Thursday at 11 a.m., Niwot, seeded sixth, takes on Woodland Park, seeded 11th, a team with a nearly identical record of 17-8 (to Niwot's 18-7), in the first round of the state tournament at the Denver Coliseum. If they win, the Cougars will play again at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11. A loss would put the Cougars in the loser's bracket with a game at 8:00 a.m. Friday.