LAKEWOOD — The Lakewood Tigers don’t wear leather jackets, put grease in their hair or have cool nicknames like Sodapop, Two-Bit or Ponygirl.
But that doesn’t mean these girls aren’t Outsiders.
When the five-classification, 40-team state volleyball tournament serves it up Friday and Saturday at the Denver Coliseum, the Tigers (23-3) will have arrived from the other side of the proverbial tracks when it comes to their 5A competition.
Although the school has state championship banners dating to 1941, the Tigers have no rich volleyball history, nor is there a golden-armed Division I standout carrying them. Heck, only about half of coach Liz Armbrustmacher’s team even plays club volleyball.
What these black-and-orange clad Tigers do have is toughness, teamwork, a competitive fire and hair dyed with streaks of pink. Why pink?
“Because it’s pretty,” junior Luiza Griz said. “And orange would look funny.”
Behind Griz, who hails from Recife, Brazil, fellow juniors Rachel Gillcrist, Lauren Lind and Taylor Jordan and a backbone of strong seniors such as Shayne Brown, Hannah Tuell and Katie Rosa, the Tigers took the Jefferson County League championship from Columbine and knocked 2006 state champion Eaglecrest out of the regional tournament.
They are proud underdogs from the old neighborhoods and would never think of demanding a better tag.
“I think what makes this team so special is that we all work so hard for everything,” Gillcrist said.
“When we come in here, it’s volleyball time,” Griz said. “The girls that don’t get it all year round, they just want as much as they can possibly get. It’s really fun because they go after it.”
The Tigers are the seventh seed of the eight teams in 5A and will battle in Pool II with defending champion Grandview (23-3), No. 3 Rampart (22-4) and No. 6 Mountain Vista (22-4).
If the Tigers are flying by the seat of their pants at state, their coach certainly isn’t. Armbrustmacher won three state titles in her playing days at Evergreen under legendary coach Lo Hunter. That was back when Jeffco had middle school sports and dominated volleyball, which makes the presence of Lakewood and No. 5 Columbine (22-4) in Pool I an unusual sight in 5A.
“I don’t think there’s any secret,” Armbrustmacher said of the Tigers’ season. “If you knew the secret, you’d probably make billions of dollars. I don’t know what it is about this group of girls. . . . I’ve never seen a team or girls get along as well as they do.”
The Tigers focused on advancing through the district and regional tournaments. Last year they narrowly missed going to state and suddenly became galvanized.
A narrow loss to Eaglecrest early in the season, followed by an upset of Columbine and a marathon victory against Ralston Valley, removed any barriers to their vision.
“It really sank in for all of us that we are so close,” Brown said. “Knowing that we could compete with all those teams fueled us even more.”
“This is what it’s all about,” Brown said.
The Tigers are ready to rumble.
State volleyball
Class 5A.
Top-seeded Cherry Creek (26-0) has been No. 1 since the preseason. No. 2 Grandview (23-3) is the defending champion and is after its fifth title since 2004. The Bruins have four titles to their name, but none since 1998. No. 8 Doherty (21-5) has won state twice, most recently in 2003.
Class 4A.
Top-seeded Cheyenne Mountain (25-1) is undefeated against 4A competition this season and reloads every year. Can the Indians grab the title now that defending champion Mountain View is safely at home? No. 2 Berthoud (25-1) was the preseason favorite and No. 3 Roosevelt (24-2) is rolling in its first year up from 3A.
Class 3A.
A few days after the nation elected a left-handed president, the top-ranked Colorado Springs Christian Lions will hope lefty Morgan Broek-huis can lead them to their fifth consecutive state title. The last team to win 3A before the Lions? No. 2 Platte Valley (24-1).
Class 2A.
The title is up for grabs with Hoehne out. The favorite? How about 10-time champion and No. 1 Fowler (23-3). Looking for new blood? How about Springs up-and-comer and No. 2 C.S. School (25-1).
Class 1A.
This could be the apex of Fleming’s stark rise and dominating run. The top-seeded defending champion Wildcats (28-0) were scratching for rare victories a few years before taking off. No. 2 Otis (23-2) and No. 3 McClave (20-5) are traditionally solid.
Brian Forbes, Special to The Post
