COLORADO SPRINGS — You get the feeling that even if the lights were out in the Pinello Field House at Colorado Springs Christian, the Lions’ volleyball team would still execute to perfection.
The Class 3A volleyball champions the last four seasons, C.S. Christian looks well on its way to No. 5.
The Lions disposed of Tri-Peaks League Western Division foe The Classical Academy 25-24, 22-25, 25-14, 25-17 on Saturday in a rematch of last season’s championship game.
“We’ve always had a rivalry with them, and a lot of these kids grew up playing club together,” said C.S. Christian coach Mike Broekhuis, whose squad improved to 9-0 in league and 12-2 overall with two weeks left in the regular season. “It is definitely one that has a red mark around it when we see our schedule.”
After splitting the first two games, C.S. Christian came out firing in the third. The Lions, who have an endless supply of hitters up front led by the coach’s daughter, Morgan Broekhuis, pounded the Titans and the left side of their defense.
The Lions opened a 7-0 lead and closed it out with the younger Broekhuis slamming down four of her game-high 19 kills.
“It’s always fun to play them,” Morgan Broekhuis said. “They are definitely a game to get up for and get excited for. We’ll probably see them again.”
With the precise setting of junior Hannah Walker, the Lions’ quartet of Broekhuis, Brianne VanderGriend (14), Heather Poll (8) and Stephanie Schlis (4) accounted for 45 of the team’s 47 kills.
The Titans (8-2, 12-3) had no consistent answers for the Lions’ attack, but coach Lori Alejo knows they can at least hang with Class 3A’s premier program.
“In our league, we play teams that don’t hit nearly as hard as they do, and we just kind of got accustomed to cheating it on defense,” said Alejo, whose Titans lost to the Lions last month in four games on their home court. “It’s a wake-up call, when we play a team like this, to be disciplined and where we need to be.”
TCA’s senior outside hitter Kerri Taylor led the Titans with 11 kills.
Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
