PARKER — If the Ponderosa volleyball team falls short in its bid to win a second consecutive Class 5A state championship, it will not be because the Mustangs decided to take it easy early in the season.
So far, the Mustangs can say they have a hard-earned split against two of the teams most likely to challenge their throne.
The top-ranked Mustangs collected their first victory in two attempts against top-five opponents, recording a 12-25, 25-12, 13-25, 25-16, 15-13 win against No. 3 Doherty in Ponderosa’s home opener Tuesday.
Ponderosa suffered a five-game loss at No. 2 Chaparral last week and will get no break in its demanding opening schedule when it plays two-time defending Class 4A state champion Cheyenne Mountain on Thursday.
“We knew that Chaparral loss put a bad taste in our mouths, and that was good because it made us work harder,” said Ponderosa coach Rob Graham. “When last season ended, we called Chap, we called Doherty and Cheyenne Mountain, knowing they all would be bringing back their stud lineups and we could get out of the gate heavy.
“I hope it will be to our advantage.”
The Mustangs were somewhat listless while dropping the first game, but they shored up their blocking approach in Game 2 against Doherty’s 6-foot-3 standouts, Taylor Simpson and Kelsey English, to pull even.
Doherty (1-1) still had an opportunity to close out the match after taking the third game, but Ponderosa rebounded in Game 4 to set up a deciding fifth game.
Fittingly, the final frame featured 11 ties before Ponderosa senior Taylor Stanley finally sealed her team’s win with an emphatic kill.
Caitie Breaux led Ponderosa with 20 kills and four blocks. Fellow senior Hannah Hoffman added 36 assists.
“We had to learn from our mistakes last week and come back and show everybody we’re better than that,” Hoffman said. “This was a confidence booster for all of us.
“We proved to ourselves that we can do what we set our minds to.”
