After a 20-5 campaign in 2015 ended in a loss to Coronado in the regional championship, Mountain Vista is again a 5A frontrunner this fall. The Golden Eagles are 18-5 at the conclusion of the regular season, and are laden with a number of elite contributors.
Senior outside hitter Alyssa Oswald (198 kills), junior middle hitter Amanda Keller (198 kills), senior rightside hitter Annie Ell (112 kills, 348 assists) and senior middle hitter Skylar Clements (104 kills) catalyze the Golden Eagles offense, while the likes of junior middle hitter Amanda Keller (65 blocks), junior libero Sam Novak (333 digs) and senior setter Taylor Cordts (224 assists) have also been crucial for Mountain Vista.
The Golden Eagles suffered a few tough losses as of late—including a 3-2 setback to No. 1 Rock Canyon on Oct. 25, a 3-2 loss to Legend on Oct. 27 and a 2-0 tournament loss to No. 3 Denver East on Oct. 29—but coach Doug Schafer’s team still has the playoffs squarely in sight. Mountain Vista is ranked seventh in the latest 5A RPI, and should be able to use its tough Continental League schedule to its advantage during the pressurized postseason.
Key victories for Mountain Vista this season include wins over No. 9 Cherry Creek (3-2 on Aug. 30), No. 10 Ralston Valley (3-1 on Sept. 13), Eaglecrest (3-0 on Sept. 17), Chaparral (3-2 on Oct. 18) and No. 4 Highlands Ranch (3-1 on Oct. 20) as the Golden Eagles begin preparation for their pursuit of the program’s first state title.
Denver Post preps editor Kyle Newman caught up with Oswald (McNeese State commit) and Ell (University of Rhode Island commit) to discuss Mountain Vista’s postseason prospects, lessons learned from recent losses, key role players on the team and much more.
