PARKER — Two certainties were revealed during the season-opening showdown between the top two volleyball teams in Class 5A.
First, establishing superiority in the Continental League will be a nip-and-tuck affair throughout the regular season.
And second, no one should be surprised if Ponderosa and Chaparral share a rematch with a state championship on the line in November.
In a marquee matchup that more than lived up to its billing, it was second-ranked Chaparral that rallied for an epic 25-23, 20-25, 14-25, 25-15, 15-12 victory against No. 1 Ponderosa. Although the teams are Continental League rivals, the coaches decided to schedule this crosstown rivalry as a nonconference tilt in order to get an early measuring stick of their squads.
“Every time we play Ponderosa, it’s a battle like this,” Chaparral coach T.R. Ellis said. “It’s still the first game. We have a lot of work to do, and so do they.
“But that was two great teams going at it. The Continental League is going to be very, very strong.”
The host Wolverines trailed 23-17 in the first game before scoring the final eight points to establish an early advantage. Ponderosa, the defending 5A state champion, recorded victories in the next two games to push Chaparral to the edge of defeat, but the Wolverines never trailed in the final two games to secure the victory.
Junior Nicole Dalton led Chaparral with 15 kills, 12 digs and eight assists, while senior Skylar Johnson turned in a strong all-around game with 18 assists, eight kills and five digs.
“This is the preseason still, but this was a big game and it’s always fun against Ponderosa,” Dalton said. “We fought hard for every point, and we talked about getting on our jobs and sticking with it. It’s a good game to start with and fight from here.”
