Chaparral loses for a second time to Fossil in the State tournament. Fossil will play again later today against Valor Christian, who is ranked first in the state, at 6 p.m. at the Denver Coliseum.
Emery Johnson, who was the second server for Fossil during the first set immediately got an ace. Stakes were high since Fossil and Chaparral had faced each other only two days ago.
The score remained close but Fossil held the lead, Chaparral called their first timeout 11-9. The Wolverines began to make stronger hits and have more accurate passes but it was not enough to beat the Sabercats.
Chaparral called a second timeout in the middle of Trinity Burchett’s three-point serving run at 18-15. Small errors crept their way back into Fossil’s play and Chaparral was on their way to stealing back the set.
Fossil called a timeout 21-19 to freeze the Wolverine’s server which worked when they hit the ball out their next serve. Fossil used this turnover and won the set 25-23.
From the start of the second set, the score was tight, that was until Alyssa Cottingham stepped up and got a kill, changing the trajectory of the game. Fossil took the lead but then as was seen in the first set, errors reappeared.
The Sabercats called a timeout 11-11 and the players took it from there. The main hitters of the set were Johnson, Cottingham, and Erin Herrmann, the girls being set up several times and crushing the ball down.
The Wolverines called a timeout at 16-13 and after only gaining three points called a second at 21-16. The second timeout was called to freeze out Burchett, a repeat of what was seen in the first set.
Unfortunately, Chaparral’s hits only got harder and more difficult to return, but before they could take the lead, Fossil called a timeout 22-20. Yet Chaparral was still coming off of multiple kills and blocks while Fossil tried to fight back. Fossil lost the set 24-26.
The Sabercats came back harder in the third set, never giving Chaparral a chance to take the lead. Delaney Ewing’s kill set a fire within the girls and from the beginning Fossil took the lead and ran with it.
The Wolverines called a timeout 15-6 but this changed nothing. Chaparral continued to get a few more points along the way but the Sabercats never backed down. With a mix of Amalee Doyle’s serves and Herrmann’s hits, Fossil won 25-14.
In the fourth set, Chaparral attempted to rewrite history and beat Fossil this time but it was too out of reach. Chaparral gained a small lead near the beginning of a set but this did not match Ally Nowak’s serve.
The Wolverines called their first timeout of the set 11-10. Kaylee Pipheo then stepped up as a server, her serves were as accurate as her sets, she gained Fossil five points. Several hitters such as Ewing, Johnson, and Makayla Dorsey secured Fossil’s win. They finished the set 25-23 thanks to Ewing’s kill.
