Exciting, nerve racking, nail biter, on the edge of your seat is the only way to describe the 2022 Colorado State Volleyball Championships, and the new style double elimination bracket made it even better.
The Meeker High School volleyball program made it to the state championship level of competition last weekend in Denver as the third seed in class 2A. They finished fourth in the state in the final ranking of 2022. | TIFFANY JEHOREK PHOTO
The Cowboys entered the tournament as third seed in class 2A, only 12 teams a classification make it to the Denver Coliseum, and in class 2A, with 76 total teams that is quite a feat.
The opening game for Meeker came in round two, after Vail Christian beat North Fork. Confident going into the game, the Cowboys came up against a much stronger Vail Christian than they had met in the regular season.
“Vail Christian came to win,” commented head coach Greg Cravens, “they didn’t let anything drop and they never gave up.”
It took five sets for Meeker to get it done, led by Emma Luce who finished with 32 kills and Ainsley Selle who had 12.
“We have a younger team, only Emma has played in the Coliseum,” said Cravens.
Meeker’s first ever D1 volleyball recruit, who will be attending Stephen F. Austin next fall, not only led in kills but aces with four, and digs with 33.
“Emma was phenomenal this weekend,” began Cravens, “she played the entire court. Everyone asks what I will do when Emma leaves, and I reply I will go back to what I did for the first 20 years. She is the best player I have ever coached.”
Staying in the winners bracket, the Cowboys met Sedgwick County, the defending state champions. They had met the Cougars in the regular season and lost in four. This time around, with the Sedgwick bench back to full capacity, the Cowboys had a hard time containing their hitters.
Luce added another 12 kills to her state stats and Selle five, Ellie Hossack now had 77 assists in the two games.
Losing in three sets, the Cowboys were still alive in the tournament, now in the consolation side of the bracket, they had one additional game to win before having a shot at the championship, and it was against St. Mary’s.
A team which the Cowboy might have never played in the past, St. Mary’s showed up to battle and took the first set.
“St Mary’s was another tough team,” said Cravens, “at this level no team can be overlooked.”
The Cowboys got it done in four sets, but had to battle. The sets were 18-25, 25-21, 25-20, and 25-21. Luce added another 23 kills, Selle seven and Reese Clatterbaugh six.
“Ainsley really came on with her blocks at our tournament in Buena Vista,” commented Cravens.
Against St. Mary’s Selle had five blocks to lead the team and Nora Gianinetti had three.
The win meant the Cowboys had a one game break before they took on Fowler, the number four seed in the tournament, who had, in their quarterfinals, beat the number one seed Wiggins.
“Fowler is a big and tough team,” said Cravens, “Fowler has traditionally been a tough volleyball legacy and we knew it would be hard.”
Fowler came out ready, only allowing the Cowboys nine points in set one and 18 in set two.
A game built on momentum, the Cowboys took set three, but were unable to get it done in set four, ending their run at the championship.
“The two teams we ended up losing to are the two who went on to the championship match,” said Cravens, “Sedgwick County won a second state title after beating Fowler 3-1, we couldnt’ have lost to tougher teams.”
Meeker finished fourth in the state in the final ranking of 2022.
Luce finished with 600 kills, a few short of last year, when she had 670, but miles above everyone else in Colorado and enough to put her in the top four or possibly three hitters all time for the state of Colorado.
Next year the Cowboys will return their primary setter, Hossack, and look to Selle to be their top scorer.
Coach Cravens has been coaching Colorado high school volleyball for 26 years, including the last six in Meeker, attending the state tournament 11 times, making two trips with University High School where his team finished second once, and four trips with Eaton High School where he won a state championship in 1997. Coach Cravens has won five regional titles for Meeker, qualifying for state and finishing in the top four, each time. Coach Cravens is pictured with CHSAA Associate Commissioner Bethany Brookens.
By TIFFANY JEHOREK – Special to the Herald Times
