On Tuesday, October 15, No. 4 Fossil Ridge High School’s Varsity Volleyball went up against No. 2 Valor Christian High School, beating them 3-1 and crushing their 72-game win streak. Fossil took the No. 2 spot and Valor fell to No. 6.
Going into the game, Coach Natalie Burton kept their game plan consistent and strong.
“We played to win, not to lose,” she said. “[That] looks like taking big swings and taking chances when it’s close and we’re in the final points, and not playing scared. Just completely fearless and confident.”
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Valor has always had a strong volleyball program. They recruit athletes and every year when great players graduate, they reload more.
“What makes them even tougher is that they’ve had a confidence and championship-type culture that you know when you have a lot of experience playing in big moments and state championship games it gives you an edge up on other teams that haven’t been able to have that kind of experience,” Burton explained.
With such a tough opponent, Burton used one phrase to describe this game: “We just keep finding a way.”
“We were actually in really uncomfortable playing circumstances last night, like passing was not our best…which meant we couldn’t set our middles a lot,” Burton said. “[But] we had some really cool, big moments of players diving to fight, to keep the ball off the ground, and coming off of a bad pass, and maybe not a great set, but finishing with a great attack.”
After losing to Valor in last year’s State Championship, Fossil had plenty of motivation to redeem themselves.
“For me personally, it was just playing free. They beat us every year, so it was really nothing for us to lose,” senior Defensive Specialist Amalee Doyle said. “We all had the confidence this year that we could finally defeat them.”
The first big set back for Fossil was when Valor came back from being down 10-17 in the second set. They knew they needed to stay strong.
“We knew it was going to be a hard-fought match. And we didn’t let it phase us to lose one set, because in the end, it’s whoever gets to three first,” said senior Middle Hitter Erin Herrmann.
Doyle reflected on that moment during practice the next day.
“Going into that third set, it wasn’t like we kept that tense energy through the set, we fixed it right away. We did a good job at adjusting that and keeping it consistent throughout the night.”
In the fifth set of last year’s championship match, Fossil was up 12-8, and then Valor came back on a seven-point streak and won. It weighed on the team that they could do it again.
“Even though we were ahead, even in the fourth set, they can always come back. It’s a big momentum game,” senior Setter Kaylee Piepho said.
Another challenge during the fourth set was Valor’s student section.
“Valor has such a big presence in their student section,” Doyle said. “When we started winning, they just got louder and louder, and when the refs made calls, they would boo them.”
Burton highlighted Piepho’s calm in running the offense in such a tough game.
“We weren’t in system a lot, so she didn’t have three hitters as an option and she just had to really get creative and find a way and trust her hitters,” she said. “I thought she had great composure in those tough moments, and she had great belief in all of her hitters, that she felt ‘Okay, if one’s not an option, I’ll find another one’, and I think the team felt that belief from her.”
That belief is the foundation of the team. It helped them through the rest of the game.
“We all came together and we we all just had that genuine belief that we were going to win,” Doyle said. “Both teams were skilled and I think the thing that set us over the top was our togetherness as a whole.”
When Fossil got the final point off a block by Herrmann and senior Outside Hitter Makayla Dorsey, the team flooded the court.
“It gives me goosebumps,” Herrmann laughs. “I just felt so loved, like everybody loved the win, and even Valor, they had to hand it to us. Both teams played their best.”
As one of the many people who had been playing volleyball at Fossil since freshman year, this win meant a lot to Doyle.
“It’s one of the best feelings I’ve had all season. We’ve all been working towards this goal for four years now, and especially as our senior season, it just felt so completing, in a way.”
The team was in high spirits on the way home.
“The bus ride there, you’re getting locked in, but the bus ride home everybody was singing along to all the songs and just being really hyped,” Doyle said. “It was so much fun.”
Burton is happy their hard work is paying off.
“Just a huge confidence boost for these girls, and validation for everything they’ve been doing all season long, and just reassuring to them of what we’ve worked on so far, and getting to this point,” said Burton.
The team knows they can not get comfortable, especially going against 5A/4A Northern League No. 3 Windsor on Thursday, October 16.
“Of course, our goal is to win state, but I think we need to stay humble and not just expect to win, just to know that we have to put in the work and stick together to be able to win,” said junior Middle Blocker Olivia Ewing.
Burton is ready to dig in and see where the rest of the season takes them.
“As big as the win was last night, the kids know we’re not done yet, and we still have room to grow. So I’m excited to see where we end up in the middle of November, how much we’re going to continue to grow,” Burton said.
