The Fossil Ridge volleyball team wraps up their league schedule beating cross-town rivals Poudre 3-0 on October 26.

Despite sweeping their opponents, Fossil struggled in parts, as Poudre went on several streaks scoring five or more points. The Sabercats’ struggles came in part to a difficult road environment.

“There’s more nerves going, specifically with a lot of fans…but I think we’ve done a really good job not letting this affect us too much,” senior Quinn VanMaanen said.

The Sabercats swept the city competition this year, defeating Rocky Mountain, Fort Collins, and now Poudre. Fossil won the city for the second year in a row and third time in the past four years. These games mean more to the players, as the close proximity increases intensity.

“It’s super exciting. I love the atmosphere with the dueling student sections…it’s really cool to play the intercity teams,” VanMaanen said.

Fossil has now wrapped up league play, and will start the next step of their season, playing in the Cheyenne Mountain tournament, starting October 29. The Sabercats are scheduled in a rematch against Fort Collins and number sixth ranked Palmer Ridge.

After the tournament, Fossil will start playoff season with the regional tournament on Saturday November 7, and the winner of regionals will make the state tournament. Between these two events, the Sabercats play several high-quality opponents, but the team is ready for the challenge.

“…we’re playing a lot harder teams in the tournament, so just seeing how good you can get against that type of competition is exciting…going into regionals I want to make it to state,” VanMaanen said