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Raptors seem to be peaking

2006 5A champ Eaglecrest played well in district win

Alan Pearce, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 1, 2007 at midnight

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With regional tournaments finishing this week, volleyball teams are only one step away from the state tournament.

Tanya Bond thinks her Eaglecrest squad, the defending Class 5A champion, took a giant step forward by winning the District 8 title last week.

One might think the Raptors, the No. 3 seed in regionals, didn't need much improvement, but Bond felt it was necessary.

"I feel like we played our best volleyball all season," Bond said. We've kind of been making small steps forward all season. We had a couple of flounders against Manitou (Springs) and Grandview, but I was glad to be in a strong district. I think we benefited from it."

The Raptors (21-2) went to the wire in the district final against Columbine before winning 26-24, 25-23, 23-25, 21-25, 15-13.

Bond noted the play of setter/ outside hitter Darcy Schwartzman, who is headed for Metro State. The Raptors also received a strong performance from standout middle blocker Courtney Karst, a University of Arizona recruit.

Karst, a 6-foot-1 senior, wasn't surprised at the closeness of the Columbine match.

"We beat them the first two games and then I think we let up a little bit," she said. "They took advantage of it. We have to expect that, at this point in the season, every team is going to want to get to state. They aren't just going to roll over."

Battle Mountain, the Class 4A defending champion, also came through districts in good shape, as the Huskies won their region without dropping a game in four matches.

In a mild surprise, Battle Mountain (20-2) was seeded fifth and, therefore, will not host a regional. The Huskies travel to Pueblo West for Region D play.

"The defending state champions, playing some pretty good volleyball, getting hosed again," Huskies coach Brian Doyon said. "Am I surprised? Not at all."

Doyon does have a point. One of his team's losses was to Rampart, a quality 5A squad still alive in regionals. But a late-season loss to Moffat County, lack of regular-season tournament play and a weak district might have cost the Huskies a top-four seed.

Pueblo West, seeded fourth, also has fewer losses than Battle Mountain, and coach Casey King has an established record of guiding the Cyclones to playoff wins.

Battle Mountain's standout player, middle Devon Abbott, said she wasn't bothered by being seeded fifth. The Huskies were seeded fourth at state last year, a definite slap, and emerged as 4A champions.

"I respect all the other teams, and they're working just as hard as we are," Abbott said.

Fort Morgan, Greeley West and Mullen were surprise qualifiers from districts, though they all finished second in tournament play during the season.

Class 3A had traditional powers Valley, Faith Christian and Manitou Springs emerge as district champions, but Olathe was somewhat of a surprise.

The Pirates overcame Basalt and Coal Ridge, two teams that finished ahead of Olathe during the regular season in the Western Slope League.

Olathe coach Dan Rosentreter praised the offense of Ali Media and Amber Foreman in districts, and senior Becky Henderson also has been a factor this season.

Defending 3A champion Colorado Springs Christian will play in the Manitou Springs regional, which looks to be the toughest of the four. The Academy, led by Alea Wildman, and Colorado Aca- demy, with Alex Ball, are the other Region B entrants.

In Class 2A, Byers and Fowler must be wondering whether fate is stepping on their state tournament hopes with the stacked Region D. Simla and Hoehne, both sporting 23-0 records, also are in the region.

This classification and Class A automatically slot district qualifiers into predetermined slots. Sangre de Cristo, in Region A, also is unbeaten this season.

Fleming is the only undefeated team in Class A, and the Wildcats, led by Bethany Atkin, Lynnae Cox and Amy Einspahr, were the preseason No. 1 pick by the Rocky Mountain News.

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