The campaign started with a good fight against High Desert 13 Elite, but our Spikes proved to be too much, handing them a straight set defeat. Our next match against Warriors 12s turned into a serving clinic with Paige connecting on 14 straight service winners in the second set. The match was over before it began, a 25-4, 25-1 victory. Spikes then took on Lobos 13 in the final game of the day. The girls’ hard work in practice was evident as the backcourt flowed, allowing Paige to set up our devastating array of hitters. The hard-fought match ended with a 25-19, 25-21 Spikes win, resulting in our third undefeated Day 1 tournament showing.

We didn’t have to wait long for our fourth undefeated day, as Spikes efficiently dispatched the new constituents of Pool B. The service game was on point, highlighted by Cambrya’s 16 point run in the second match of the day. A small but significant shift in backcourt positioning suggested by Pasky in the last practice prior to the tournament seemed to plug every hole on the court, fustigating opposing hitters and powering lopsided victories.

It was Riva’s 13th birthday, and consistent with her character, she gave rather than received. First, doughnuts (sugar rush!!), then unreturnable serves, then digs, and finally the ball straight back to where it came from any time an opponent had the temerity to try to spike it on us. Truly a pinnacle performance from Riva, who has had a standout season, and what a work of art to behold.

And so, like a finely tuned Mercedes AMG (wink) screaming past hapless Volkswagens on the Autobahn, Spikes 13s pulled into pole position for the top-tier Horsetooth elimination round on Day 3, earning themselves for the first time a well-deserved bye and a 10:00 AM match. Lobos 13 had by then dispatched Premier 12’s, setting up a quarter-final rematch with our pool mates from Day 1.

Having already spent so much energy and emotion to get to this point, the girls struggled in the first set, going down 16-25. The specter of going out in the quarters for the fourth straight tournament hung like a weight over the team. But the shock of the first set loss of the tournament, combined with the contagious enthusiasm of our amazing supportive parents and friends, breathed life back into the team. Renewed and ready, we returned to form, smashing Lobos by 11 in the second to force the decider. But it was already decided, as Makena set her jaw and unleashed a series of unanswerable jump floats (Cupcake!) while Aileen dismantled the defense, pulverizing the opponent’s will through force. At long last, Spikes 13 punched its ticket to the Final!

Following a very raucous, very short celebration, we prepared to face the team we had one eye on all tournament, the immovable Monument Elite 13s. Monument proved to be too much for us, but our girls played their hearts out, leaving everything on the court and, in the process, making me and all of our parents incredibly proud.

And incredibly grateful that we got to witness firsthand the forging of an amazing unit of killer volleyball players, but more importantly, the tremendous growth of each of these young ladies over these past six months. I hope they will remember the hard work, the laughter, the sacrifices, the elation, the pain, the friendships and the trust, and both the small and grand moments this team shared. I, for my part, will never forget this team and these special young athletes. Thank you.

And so, it has come, closing time. But remember, every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.

Coach Andy
May 10, 2023