If, as it is said, the first time is the sweetest, then Fleming’s Wildcats were cut loose in a candy store Saturday night at the Denver Coliseum.
The Class 1A Wildcats won their first volleyball title, finished the season undefeated and rolled against an opponent that couldn’t do much right and was running on fumes.
Fleming’s 25-13, 25-16, 25-10 decision of perennial power Flagler was as easy as it looked.
With a thorough batch of aces, kills, blocks, dinks and whatever else it wanted, Fleming never trailed at any point in the match. At various points in each of the three games, the Wildcats, state runners-up a year ago, enjoyed leads of 11-2, 8-2 and 18-4.
Fittingly, Amy Einspahr, The Denver Post 1A MVP, ended it with a kill. The senior, 6-feet-3 and about as long as a country road, seemed to be everywhere, as did most of the Wildcats.
“The kids set their sights on this last year,” Fleming coach Derek Herbert said. “For a magical night, it all came together perfectly for us.”
Einspahr acknowledged the prowess of the Panthers – “They’re always one of the teams to beat,” she said – but “we knew what they were going to do and we were ready.”
The two teams played a five-setter earlier in the tournament, but the finale was quite different.
While Einspahr, Lynnae Cox and Bethany Atkin were at the front of an array of execution, the Panthers, who finished 24-5, had issues at the net, serving and in the back, where a number of mis-hits cost them.
It got to the point in the third game that the Panthers actually whiffed at two offerings and all veteran coach Pam Fagerlund could do was watch.
“It was all about (the Wildcats),” she said. “They were undefeated; it was their year. It was hard for us to get here and I’m proud of it.”
Flagler, playing in its 10th final, finished second for the sixth time and loses only two seniors.
But Fleming, which hopes to remain a power, earned its turn at the top.
“From the parents to the kids, they all put in so much work,” Herbert said.
CLASS 1A ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Mindy Cordell, Flagler, Sr.
Lynnae Cox, Fleming, Jr.
Amy Einspahr, Fleming, Sr.
Shelby Fritzler, Flagler, Sr.
Carlee Koutnik, La Veta, Sr.
Shawna Stieb, Caliche, Sr.
MVP: Amy Einspahr
