Aurora – Eaglecrest crafted a two-step process to make the road feel like home.
Step 1: Pack the opponent’s stands with Raptors fans.
Step 2: Beat Class 5A’s top-ranked Grandview in five thrilling games: 25-19, 23-25, 26-24, 19-25, 15-12.
“This was huge,” said Eaglecrest’s Kristen Schevikhoven amid a raucous postgame celebration Wednesday night in the Wolves’ gym. “Once we saw that we could come back from eight points down (in the third game), we knew we could win it.”
Eaglecrest, No. 3 in The Denver Post/9News 5A poll, limited mistakes, put up a wall at the net to slow Grandview’s big hitters and pounded the ball from every angle in the final game.
It was the first time in school history Eaglecrest (9-1) beat Grandview (8-2) in volleyball. The teams meet again Sept. 30, when Centennial League play is underway.
“This team always battles. They never give up when they are down,” Eaglecrest coach Tanya Bond said. “This is an important game for our confidence, but this team is focused on the bigger picture.”
Eaglecrest jumped out to a 10-point lead and hung on for a 25-19 victory in the first game, and Grandview held off a Raptors surge to take the second.
After trading the third and fourth games, with momentum swings every few serves, the teams exchanged points until Eaglecrest took control for good on a dual block by Courtney Karst and Alex Beard.
Eaglecrest got further separation on the scoreboard thanks to back-to-back mis-hits by Grandview, and Karst clinched the match with a thundering spike to the middle of the court.
“We just wanted it so bad. We wanted to prove everybody wrong,” said Karst, who came alive midway through the match.
Grandview’s Lindsey Licht, Lauren Van Orden and Sara Nehf provided offensive punch, but Karst, Schevikhoven and Briana Steger countered every time.
“Errors make the difference,” Bond said. “Overall, we had great ball control, and we got big blocks on their big hitters.”
