Niwot boys volleyball finishes 3-3 in packed week of matches

The Niwot High School boys volleyball team faced six matches in five days from April 8–12, finishing with three wins and three losses. The Cougars showed signs of growth and endurance throughout the demanding week.

Niwot started the week with a 3-2 loss to Poudre High School on April 8. While taking the first set 25-22 and the third set 25-21, the Cougars dropped the second, fourth and fifth sets 28-26, 25-9 and 15-9 respectively.

Niwot made 51 kills and had a .197 hitting percentage overall, with 10.2 kills per set and a 34.7 kill percentage on 147 total attempts. Despite the result, the match remained competitive and set the tone for the rest of the week. Head Coach John Miller added that the team's loss led to them learning to "play matches until the end, not taking anything for granted."

On April 10, Niwot responded with a clean sweep of Greeley Central High School, winning 25-12, 25-9 and 25-17. Junior Jasper Helgans led with 14 points from serve, senior Diego Kheng recorded a .667 hitting percentage, and junior Charlie Kirtland added seven digs on defense. The Cougars were able to take "advantage of their opponents' weaknesses and played as a team to earn the victory," Miller said.

On April 12, the team played four back-to-back matches. The day began with a 2-0 loss to Eaglecrest High School (25-22, 25-19), followed by another close loss to Poudre High School (25-20, 27-25). The Cougars, however, bounced back with a 2-1 win over Legend High School (25-14, 18-25, 15-9), before finishing out the day strong with a 2-0 victory against Mullen High School (25-11, 25-18).

Throughout the week, Niwot relied on strong teamwork and consistent effort from team members. Looking ahead, the Cougars will face Boulder High School on April 15 at 6:30 p.m. at Boulder High, followed by a match against Arvada West High School on April 17 at 5:45 p.m. at Arvada West.