COLORADO SPRINGS — The volleyball expectations for Cherry Creek senior Carter Booth have been exceedingly high for years.
College coaches have been on her trail since middle school.
“When I was being recruited, I was very, very young,” Booth said. “Toward the end of seventh grade, so about 13 or 14. But it wasn’t that much pressure. I knew what I wanted.”
On Saturday night, in front of a raucous crowd inside the Broadmoor World Arena, Booth proved exactly why she remains Colorado’s most coveted volleyball talent. The 6-foot-7 middle hitter rose to the occasion in her final high school game leading the No. 1 Bruins to a Class 5A state championship over No. 3 Grandview in four sets: 27-25, 26-28, 25-17, 25-14.
Players spilled onto the court after the final match point in celebration.
“They’re everything to me. We play for each other day in and day out,” Booth said. “We weren’t playing for a trophy or the reputation. We did it for each other.”
Booth, signed to play next season for the University of Minnesota, proved to be the catalyst.
One look at her family tree explains a lot.
Her father, Calvin Booth, is the Denver Nuggets general manager who played for 10 years in the NBA. That skill set has apparently translated down the line. Carter showcased elite athleticism in the championship final with an array of blocks and kills. However, Bruins coach Steve Huntingdale is more impressed with her mental acuity.
“She’s maybe the most brilliant, smartest volleyball player I know,” Huntingdale said. “What separates her is that she’s such a great communicator with her teammates. … They trust what Carter says, so it adds to their confidence, and they’re unstoppable.”
Booth added: “There were a couple of times in that game where I could have gone up and swung as hard as I could. But I knew the corner was open. Itap things like that. Knowing when to pick and choose your battles.”
In the second set, when Grandview rallied for a 28-26 victory, there was no panic on the Cherry Creek bench. The Bruins left no doubt in the third and fourth sets.
“I let them talk. They knew what they wanted to do,” Huntingdale. “They recognized that itap good volleyball. You have to keep making play after play after play.”
Cherry Creek earned its sixth state volleyball title in school history and the school’s first since 2008.
“Itap nice to go out on this note with the team that I love,” Booth said.
