Spikes 14-2 was seeded #38 out of 64 teams in the 14 Classic division and put in a pool with the #6, #27, and #59 seeds. Action got underway for us at 3:00 PM on Saturday against the #6 seed, Santa Fe Storm 14-1. We soon discovered that their ranking was no fluke and they dispatched us in straight sets while holding us to less than 15 points in each. And that was without their top four players who couldn’t arrive until later that evening.

With a two-hour break until our next match, teenage forgetfulness was advantageous as we beat the #27 ranked Lobos 14 Black in the first set 25-17. A familiar foe, we had scrimmaged Lobos on a number of Fridays, and we knew how tenacious they were. They seem to dig every big hit, and they rarely lose points through errors. It was with this style they were able to beat us in the second set 23-25 and force a third. For the decider, I sprung a brand-new rotation, “The Nuclear Option,” on the team they had never seen or practiced, but they took it in stride and edged out Lobos 15-13.

No break and straight into the final match of the evening against CCCVB 14, who had yet to win a set. Until our first set, which they won by 6. But we returned the favor in the second to beat them by the same margin. We again deployed the Nuclear Option in the third, this time to a convincing 15-4 victory. We had done enough to get second in the pool and get elevated into the top half of the division for Day 2 with the #27 rank. So far, so good.

The only problem of getting re-seeded into the top half of the division is that you no longer get to play any of the teams ranked #33 through #64. Our Day 2 pool included the #7, #9, and #21 seeds. On paper, we were the worst team in the pool. And to get into the top 16 team Gold Bracket on Monday, we would have to again finish first or second in the pool. And that’s not all. The first team we had to play was our own club’s top competitive team, Pasky’s Spikes 14Z’s.

We arrived at Court D11 at 4:00 Sunday afternoon to a sea of spectators packed in around the court eagerly awaiting this epic sister versus sister cage match dead in the middle of the gigantic venue. Coach Amanda of Spikes 13’s fame (finished 3rd in Crossroads – Awesome!) joined us on the sideline to lend her keen eye. Our team was excited to take on the Z’s, but also very nervous. As the match began, our girls turned those nerves into explosive energy. Jada, Alice, Maggie, and Azi in the backcourt were handling the dangerous Z serving, getting the ball to our stalwart setter Ezra, who placed steady setting in our hitters’ paths. Abby jumped and hit like she was shot out of a cannon, Jada was everywhere digging everything, and any suspicions of a lopsided matchup had disappeared. The entertaining rally-filled first set finished with the Z’s on top 25-20.

But our young ladies weren’t there for moral victories. Not today. Ashley, Misha, and Havana sent a barrage of missiles from the service line, and our defensive shape and determination powered us forward one point at a time. It seemed at times that the ball would never hit the ground amid the deafening roar of the crowd. Maggie had so many successful backcourt hits I just started calling her “Killer.” On set point, our setter Nazirah had two amazing digs behind the blockers, showing her grit and skill, triumphantly setting us up for a 25-19 second set victory. Insane! But the third time wasn’t the charm for The Nuclear Option, and we went down scratching and clawing in the decider 8-15.

No time for “What Ifs” as we immediately rolled into a matchup with the #7 ranked Panthers Black 14 squad. But the girls were flying high, and I knew there would be no letdown. Our middle blockers Avery and Abby shut down the Panther’s attack, and Lexi sent flush hits down the line and out of the defenders’ reach. Savanna kept up her aggressive attacking from the right side. Our service game was overpowering, forcing the Panthers to send easy free balls our way only to have our array of hitters slam it back on them. At one point Alice flew high in the air from out of my peripheral vision to smash a backcourt winner. When the smoke cleared, Spikes 14-2 had bullied their way to a straight set smashup 25-21, 25-14.

Having dispatched the #7 seed, the math for the final match of Day 2 was simple: Win for Gold Bracket on Day 3 or lose and get Silver Bracket. It was fitting that we were wearing our gold jerseys, because this runaway train would not be derailed by #21 Zapata ZVC 14. Again, our middle blockers stepped up and shut down Zapata’s primary weapon, their punishing outside hitter who eventually had to resort to tipping the ball lamely to our awaiting DS’s after Avery and Abby blocked her over and over again. The movement in our backcourt was so frenzied that Alice accidentally stepped on Jada’s wrist as they were converging on a dig. But warrior Jada refused to come out of the game, holding her wrist in pain between every point. Day 2 was in the books with a 25-14, 25-21 win. Everyone played their hearts out. We went through scores of bandages, gauze, wrap, and Icy Hot. Slashed and bruised, nobody missed a rotation that day, and they wore the biggest smiles I’ve seen yet.

So, onto Day 3 and placed #9 in the single-elimination Top-16 Gold Bracket against #8 Amazon 14 Mambas. We were now in rarefied air. Looking through the other Gold Bracket teams’ records, most of them were undefeated, like our opponent, and some had yet to lose a set. Pasky’s 14Z’s and our team were the only Colorado teams left. We had reached the upper echelon.

The girls were pumped and ready for action when the starting whistle blew at 8:00 AM on Monday. The Mambas served the first 5 points before we called a timeout. They built an 11-1 lead before our second and final timeout. All of their servers had pinpoint accuracy and could deliver the ball anywhere on the court with pace. Their defense was perfectly positioned for everything we hit at them. Their passes and sets were perfectly executed, and their hitters were tall with good verticals who hit corners and lines with thunderous contact and perfect accuracy. We were swept out 10-25, 13-25.

As disappointed as the girls were with the first-round defeat, they should feel nothing but tremendous pride in what they accomplished at their first big-time tournament. To go from a team that finished 7^th out of 10 local teams in the last tournament to a team that finished in the Top 10 out of 64 battle-tested travelling teams from all over the US is just incredible. And tied for the #1 team in CO with your clubmates, the legendary Spikes 14Z’s.

This marks the halfway point of the season and serves as an important guidepost to chart our progress. And so now I speak to our young athletes: I am astounded how far you have come. Each of you has put in the time and effort to learn and train, the fruits of which are now apparent to everyone that sees you play. But what is even more meaningful to me is that you have grown together as a team, and the trust you place in one another is what makes the magic you create on the court possible. I see you having fun, not the kind that arises from just goofing around with your friends, the kind that is hard earned through trial, knowing that you will never let each other down when times are tough, and will always sincerely celebrate when times are good. That is a special kind of bond that few get to truly experience. Congratulations to all of you, you created a memory I will personally never forget, thank you.

Coach Andy
March 12, 2024