Arvada – Kindra Carlson’s boom kept Eaton from going bust Saturday against upset-minded Faith Christian.
The Reds’ all-state senior, bound for the University of Washington, cranked out four of her match-best 20 kills in the decisive fifth game to give Eaton a 21-25, 25-21, 19-25, 25-19, 15-11 Class 3A nonleague victory over the Eagles.
Carlson had five kills in the previous two games combined before smacking down four shots in the finale.
Of course, she wasn’t counting.
“I don’t care about kills,” Carlson said. “It’s all about fun, and I know my teammates will back me up.”
No. 5 Eaton improved to 6-4, fresh off a five-game loss to Patriot League rival Valley. The Reds jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the fifth game and held on despite a furious rally by the Eagles.
“Our goal was to start off strong and get the lead,” Eaton senior setter Caryl Abeyta said.
Abeyta had a kill early in the decisive game before Carlson crushed consecutive kills to put the visitors up 5-2. Senior middle hitter Suzanne Cazer had two kills in the game and Abbie Howe added another before Katie Mackey clinched the 15-11 victory with a looping hit to the open floor.
The Reds’ show of depth was missing in the games they lost – they struggled when Carlson was on the back row.
“We have a great hitting team,” said Abeyta, who had 32 assists. “Even when (Carlson) isn’t in the front row, I know that I have two more hitters that can make a play.”
Howe finished with 11 kills.
The ninth-ranked Eagles (9-4) lost for the first time in eight matches while losing to the Reds for the fourth consecutive season. The Eagles had moments of dominance, but struggled at times with service errors and passing.
Coach C.L. Hubbard credited her players’ heart, effort and inability to be intimidated for their success with a smaller-than-average lineup.
“The strength of this team is there’s not a go-to (girl),” Hubbard said. “Everybody plays well. We have a balanced attack and I think we’re a really good defensive team.”
Setter Lindsey Scholz had 26 assists for the Eagles. Britta Halliday led with eight kills and harassed the Reds with a booming serve that was tough to pass.
“Really, we only have to get 19 because (Halliday) gets about six aces every game,” Hubbard said. “It’s a tough serve.”
