Niwot girls volleyball earns spot in 4A state tournament

With its season on the line, the Niwot High School girls volleyball team won twice in a rival's gym to earn a spot in the upcoming Class 4A state tournament.

The Cougars first cruised past Denver North High School (25-17, 25-13, 25-17) before beating host Longmont High School in four sets (25-21, 21-25, 25-20, 25-18) at the 4A Region 11 championships on Saturday, Nov. 4. Obviously, the stakes were higher than a typical match, but because Longmont was seeded three spots higher than 14th-ranked Niwot at No. 11, the victory meant more to head coach Tony Engel's squad.

"Longmont was seeded higher than us, so we weren't supposed to win," Engel said. "We definitely stepped it up."

Niwot will now face Palisade High School in the first round of the double-elimination state tournament on Thursday, Nov. 9 at the Denver Coliseum. The winner plays Palmer Ridge High School later that evening.

After losing two of their final four regular season matches, the Cougars were back to playing their style of volleyball at regionals. Engel credited junior Anne Haley, specifically, for keeping Niwot locked in throughout.

"Anne, our setter, had been hurt for about a month, and it took a little bit of adjustment time with her getting back. We gelled today after (being) on the struggle bus for the last week-and-a-half, two weeks," Engel said. "We were just a little bit out of sync, and today it kind of came together. The kids really focused and played Intelligent volleyball.

With the two regionals wins, Niwot improved to 17-8 on the season and the Cougars are now only one of 12 teams in contention for the 4A state title.

"Everything has gone exactly the way that we've wanted it to go, honestly," Haley said. "Obviously, the injuries suck, but I came back and I wanted to give it everything I had."

Last year, the Cougars lost in the second round before making a strong run in the elimination bracket, ultimately falling one win short of the Class 4A semifinals. Returners from that team include Haley, Addison Engel, Bella Berger, Lizzy Kaus, Sami Sessa, Julia Dadey and Elise Arends.

"It's nice to have some kids that have been there, done that," Tony Engel said.

However, if the Cougars want to make another deep run this year, they'll have to master consistency.

"We've got to stay away from the streaks," Engel said. "In set three (against Longmont), we jumped out to a big lead and then we gave it all back. That type of yoyo play needs to go away because the good teams will penalize you and won't let you back in it."

The Cougars had their share of highlight-reel plays against Longmont. In the first set, Haley saved a ball that hit the basketball backboard high up on the ceiling (which is in play), and Niwot eventually won the point. In the second set, Arends had a terrific save that led to a point, and Kaus scored on a no-look kill.

West and Engel spent the afternoon recording points on powerful kills, with West hitting the ball harder than anyone else on the floor, and Engel often hitting the ball on a downward 60-degree angle. Haley added multiple points on second-ball shots that found holes in the defense, which was not prepared for shots by the setter.

Niwot's first-round game against Palisade begins at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 9.