Student Athlete of the Week: Brooke Caquelin

A game-changing presence at the net, Brooke Caquelin is a large reason why the Niwot High School varsity girls volleyball team has cruised through most of its Granite Peaks League schedule.

Through Oct. 13, the senior middle blocker owns the third-most kills (75) and the second-most total blocks (26) on a 12-3 Cougars squad that hasn't lost consecutive matches all year. Caquelin, displaying her growth mindset, believes Niwot still hasn't reached its ceiling.

"I think we still have a long way to go, but I think we're getting there," Caquelin said. "We've come a long way since the beginning of summer and the beginning of the season. I feel like we're going to keep growing as we keep practicing."

With the postseason looming, Caquelin has been playing arguably her best volleyball in October. She recorded a season-best four total blocks against Legacy High School on Oct. 4 before tallying 12 kills (also a season-high) against Mead High School on Oct. 8. Niwot won both matches while taking six of the seven combined sets.

"I'm very self-motivated," Caquelin said. "I play for me and I play for my team. All outside distractions are just gone, I don't worry about that and I'm focused. I really rely on my team's energy, I try to be a super energetic player, and I try to show up for my teammates."

Caquelin, one of five seniors on Niwot's roster, has seen her teammates follow suit.

"Everyone just knows their role and their responsibility," Caquelin said. "We have a pregame routine, so there's not really much that needs to be told. We all just know what to do."

After transferring from Skyline High School in Longmont to Niwot following her sophomore year, it didn't take long for Caquelin to assimilate herself into the Cougars' culture.

"It was hard, but the people definitely made it easy," Caquelin said. "All the girls were super, super nice and super easy to bond with. It was a different environment, but it was super cool to be in a different environment and see how other schools practiced and played. It was overall a better change."

As of Oct. 13, only five regular season matches remain in her high school career. During these final days, Caquelin hopes to continue improving her skillset while helping Niwot's run to the Class 4A state tournament.

"Obviously, I'd love to make it to state, but I would love to work on some things that I've been struggling with on the court," she said. "(I want to) get better as a player, get better as a team, and hopefully make it pretty far in state."

Caquelin would like to continue playing volleyball in college. While navigating her final high school season, she's reaching out to college coaches in hopes of landing an opportunity at the next level.

"I love the game, I love volleyball, so I just play for that," she said. "That's really why I'm out there."