All is right with the world.
The Fowler Grizzlies are state volleyball champions.
The Arkansas Valley powerhouse won its 11th title and first since 2005 with a convincing three-game victory over the Colorado Springs School 25-20, 25-21, 25-13 on Saturday night at the Denver Coliseum.
“It’s like we woke a sleeping giant,” said Grizzlies coach Sandy Moss, who adds her name to the legendary Vin Mizer (nine titles and a 684-82 career record) and Dusty Lotrich as Fowler championship coaches. Fowler (28-4), which handed the Kodiaks their only loss of the season in three games last week at regionals, has a roster full of freshmen and sophomores but played like a team that had been together before.
Freshman Bethany Moss and sophomore April Gonzales, with the sets of The Denver Post’s 2A MVP Morgan Moss (who missed much of the season with an injured foot), set the tone in the first game.
The Kodiaks had flashes of brilliance, but never got clicking into the rhythm that helped them win 29 games this season.
“(The Grizzlies) are just a very consistent team,” said Kodiaks coach Kyong Lee, who guided the school on the grounds of The Broadmoor to its first title game. “The fact that we got this far on our first try is nothing to be ashamed of.”
C.S. School appeared in command of the second game, but its offense, which revolves heavily around senior Tracee Hamacher and 6-foot-3 Breanna Cullity, became error-prone and the Grizzlies turned a 15-11 deficit into a 17-15 lead.
Fowler didn’t need to match the Kodiaks power-for-power, instead exploiting the middle of the CSS defense with countless dinks over the Kodiaks’ front line.
“We really didn’t have that in our game plan,” Sandy Moss said. “We just wanted them to go out there and play good solid volleyball.”
With just one graduating senior, the Grizzlies appear primed for a dynasty-like run, something Coach Moss refused to focus on.
Said Gonzales: “We’ve just got to believe every time we go out there, just like we always do.”
Class 2A
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Breanna Cullity, C.S. School, Sr.
April Gonzales, Fowler, So.
Tracee Hamacher, C.S. School, Sr.
Bethany Moss, Fowler, Fr.
Morgan Moss, Fowler, Sr.
Emily Post, Wray, Sr.
MVP: Morgan Moss
