NHS girls volleyball heads into the post season on a high

For six seniors, Tuesday's volleyball game was about something beyond the court. After spending hours in the high school gym for practices and games, the seniors celebrated all they have accomplished while being a part of Niwot volleyball.

Though the season isn't yet completed and the Cougars are now starting postseason, the underclassmen carried forward the tradition of decorating the gym for the veteran players. The Niwot High gym was decked out in pink for the victory against Riverdale Ridge (25-15, 14-25, 25-16, 25-10).

"The theme for Senior Night is Barbie," senior Lizzy Kaus said. "I thought it was a really good game for the seniors. It's always a tradition that the theme for senior night is really fun. I think they did a really good job and all the underclassmen prepared for all of it. I was really impressed. I'm really thankful for that."

Kaus collected eight kills for the night, finishing the match with a .375 hitting percentage. Kaus has spent the last three seasons on the varsity roster, but really found her groove during her junior season, where she added 37 kills in 27 sets played to her records.

The emotional night was off to a strong start, with the Cougars taking an early lead in the first set. Riverdale Ridge caught some traction in the second set, capturing a 25-14 win. The Cougars got down to business and finished the contest with two dominating sets.

Niwot had an overall hitting percentage of .261 and had 10 service aces.

"I think the first set went really well, I mean, we slayed it and then in the second set we had some problems," senior defensive specialist Sami Sessa said. "I think we just needed to talk more because we kind of did what we did at Frederick and we stopped talking. And then we figured out, 'Hey, we need to talk, we need more energy,' and we changed the dynamic even more with the starters back in. But even when the starters went back out, I mean, we can always put anyone in and if we're communicating good, we're gonna be a good team."

Head coach Tony Engel holds the 2024 class close to his heart as his daughter, Addison Engel, is finishing her final season with Niwot volleyball. To him, the most special part of the class is the family-like atmosphere stretching beyond the gym.

"Well, I've been very fortunate, right?" he said. "They genuinely like each other, same as last year's senior class, and they take these other kids under their wing, and they teach them what it's all about. Because it's more than going out and passing and setting and hitting a volleyball. It's how do we get along? How nice it can be? How do we communicate with each other? All the little things that make you a good team as compared to a good individual? That's where we've excelled the last two years in a row."

The victory means a lot to the team, and Julia Dadey found the night a reason to celebrate, but also knows senior night will not be the last time she touches the court with her teammates, and she is ready to shift her focus to the postseason.

"It means a lot," she said. "It's a lot of emotions at once. And I think after all I've been through with this team, it's like family to me. Tonight was just a really happy ending, but it's also the beginning for regionals, state and all that, so I think it just got us really, really excited."

Niwot High closes out the regular season with an 8-2 Longs Peak League record, second in the league. Saturday's Cheyenne Mountain Tournament yielded split results, more closely resembling the competition going forward.

A busy weekend resulted in a 3-1 defeat (25-11, 25-16, 23-25, 26-24) to the Roosevelt High School Roughriders on Friday, a precursor to a 3-0 deficit (20-25, 10-25, 11-25) to the Thompson Valley Eagles on Saturday afternoon.

Saturday's last two matches against Frederick High and Severance High both had 3-2 victories. 25-22, 23-25, 29-27, 22-25, 15-11, and 25-21, 22-25, 18-25, 28-26, 15-11 respectively.

NHS VB 10-17-2: Maxi Valdovinos (white jersey) with Sami Sessa (grey) in action.