Littleton – Under the rally scoring system, when a team is trailing 20-9 it’s best to cuts its losses and regroup for the next game.
“Not us,” said Grandview’s Lindsey Licht.
The top-ranked defending Class 5A champions prevented a fifth game against No. 2 Heritage with a stirring rally Thursday night to seal a 25-23, 20-25, 25-16, 25-22 nonleague victory.
Licht, a 6-foot-4 junior, notched four of her game-best 12 kills in the decisive fourth game as the Wolves’ resolve proved to be their biggest advantage on a night of season-opening inconsistencies.
“We just want to win it so bad,” Licht said. “I was telling everybody, ‘We’re not going to lose this game.”‘
The host Eagles were pounding the Wolves early in the fourth game, jumping out to a 6-0 lead and extending it to 20-9 on a kill by senior Lauren Jaeckel.
Grandview junior Karina Garlington answered with her own kill and went on to serve eight consecutive service winners to cut the deficit to 20-18. Garlington, who moved from middle to outside hitter in the offseason, had another kill to tie the score 22-22 before the Wolves grabbed the lead for good on Licht’s kill.
“We were a little back on our heels and just making mindless errors, but …” Garlington said.
Heritage coach Dough Schafer called the end anticlimactic and said his team seemed to play scared in the fourth game when it had the visitors stunned.
Grandview was state runner-up in 2003 before going 30-1 last season, including two victories over Heritage where the Wolves won 6 of 7 games.
Licht, Garlington and senior Kyli Bailey led a balanced Wolves attack in a tight first game. Grandview went up 17-16 on Bailey’s kill and stretched its lead to four points on an ace by sophomore Lauren VanOrden.
Heritage managed to tie the game 23-23 when all-state junior Kristy Jaeckel twice blocked Grandview’s middle Katie Mills, a transfer from Steamboat Springs.
Kristy Jaeckel guided the Eagles to victory in the second game with two big kills down the stretch, but Heritage could not sustain the momentum in the pivotal third game.
Grandview went up 7-2 and stretched its lead to 19-10 on a kill by setter Lara Vagstad.
