PARKER — A few weeks ago, Chaparral volleyball coach T.R. Ellis made a strategic adjustment, moving 6-foot-2 standout Nicole Dalton from the Wolverines’ front line to a spot along the back row in hopes of fully maximizing her array of skills.
If Thursday’s performance was any indication, the move has made the state’s best team that much tougher.
Dalton and the Wolverines turned a showdown, with huge state and league implications, into a surprisingly one-sided affair, as Class 5A No. 1 Chaparral recorded a three-game sweep at No. 2 Ponderosa with a 25-21, 25-14, 25-22 victory.
The Wolverines, who opened the season with a five-game victory at home against Ponderosa in a nonconference match, also claimed sole possession of first place in the Class 5A Continental League while retaining possession of the crosstown Pride of Parker Cup.
Ponderosa (11-2, 4-1 league) had won 11 consecutive matches since its previous loss against Chaparral (11-1, 5-0 league).
“(Dalton) can hit out of the back row, but actually she helps us control the ball better from the back row,” Ellis said. “We have two other great setters, Skylar Johnson and Aubrey Podschweit, and that allows us to use that attack behind our setter when we have Skylar on the net. That was effective tonight.”
Chaparral closed its victory in the first game by scoring five of the final six points to break a 20-20 tie, and the Wolverines used a midgame 10-2 run in Game 2 to take a 2-0 edge. Ponderosa held a 21-18 lead late in Game 3, but Johnson recorded five points in a 7-1 closing run that sealed Chaparral’s win.
“I think (the position change) was a good one for the team,” said Dalton, who finished with 16 kills. “It’s working well. I think our defense is beginning to step up and it’s just mixing really well and we’re starting to gel.
“We didn’t expect to come in here and win in three, but that’s awesome.”
