Three times the champs
By Dan Karpiel
The Surveyor
More than any other sport, volleyball is a game of momentum. That fact could not have been more clearly displayed than it was at the regional championships on Nov. 4 at Mountain View High School (MVHS) in Loveland.
Berthoud − who had won hosting rights for regionals as the eight seed but saw the tournament relocated to MVHS when Berthoud High School was closed − battled back from a 2-0 deficit to the get the 3-2 win (25-27, 21-25, 30-32, 25-10, 15-10) over the Mountain Lions in what was nothing short of an epic match. The victory gave Berthoud their third regional championship in as many years and secures a spot for the Lady Spartans in the state tournament that will be played this coming weekend in Denver.
Berthoud advanced to the championship match with Mountain View by making mincemeat out of 29-seed Glenwood Springs in a 3-0 sweep (25-8. 25-17, 25-8). Yet the Lady Spartans began the championship match uncharacteristically lackadaisical and mistake-prone and allowed Mountain View to take the first two sets. Berthoud trailed throughout the heart-stopping third set, even facing match point when trailing 24-23 and later 28-27, but pulled the pendulum of momentum back in their favor to eek-out the 32-30 win and then cruised to comfortable wins in the final two sets.
“Heart,” was Berthoud Head Coach Daisha Agho’s answer when asked after the match what it was that allowed her team to wrest the momentum from Mountain View and ultimately claim the regional crown. “This team went through a lot this week. I think those first sets showed a lot of the numbness and emotion these girls felt, but they were able to pull it together. I knew it was going to be a struggle, and they finally showed up.”
Mountain View carried the momentum they got with their wins in the first two sets into the third, holding leads of 4-1, then 8-3, then 17-13 and eventually match-point 24-23. “At that point in the third set, when it’s 24-23 and we’re down two games, I think ‘oh my gosh, we’re not going to go to state and this is going to be my last time on the court,’” senior Shay Pierick said.
Star outside hitter Julie Ward got the kill for Berthoud on Mountain View’s next serve, preserving the Lady Spartans season. Jessa Megenhardt did likewise on the next rally, after freshman Cas Berry digged a Mountain View attack on Berthoud’s right side to give the Lady Spartans a 25-24 lead, their first of the set. After Mountain View responded to tie the score, Megenhardt setup Abi Lutz on the left side, and the junior’s attack cleared the Lady Lions block, putting Berthoud back in front 26-25.
Lutz was singled out for praise from Agho, who said after the game, “The other piece that was a huge factor, and I cannot give her enough props right now, is Abi Lutz … she did the job I needed her to do, she is the reason we won that third set, she truly is. She really turned the team’s mentality, the team’s desire to win, and that fight. Just her presence on the court and that positive attitude she showed … stepping on the court in a very tough situation and doing what she did was phenomenal.”
The teams traded points back and forth and Ward registered two more kills, the second of which gave Berthoud a 31-30 lead. On Berry’s subsequent serve, the Lady Lions return attack went wide, ricocheting off the net and giving Berthoud the 32-30 win.
“We started getting smart, we started playing tough defense and picking up balls, and the momentum came to our side,” Megenhardt said of Berthoud’s turnaround in the third set. “I think our passing really stepped up and we started getting the ball where we needed to. We started feeding [Ward] and our middles, and we started moving the ball around really well and talking about where we could swing where there wasn’t a block or there wasn’t a defender.”
While Berthoud had some struggles in the first two sets overcoming Mountain View’s block, Agho and several players all remarked the hurdles to overcome were of the mental, not the physical, variety. “I don’t think they really knew just how much this week had affected them. I don’t think they realized how much not being at home would affect them. I thought it was a shocker to them,” Agho said referencing the tragic death of a BHS student the day prior.
Added Pierick, “I think we found our groove, we finally pulled our heads out and we wanted to go to state. That was our goal, we collected ourselves, came out strong and played Spartan ball.” The senior’s comments were echoed by Ward, who said, “We did go through a little bit of a slump, but we realized we needed to get at it and get going if we’re going to reach our goals. Mentally, we realized we all needed to be all-in.”
The Lady Spartans rode the positive energy they garnered from their win in the third set into the fourth and fifth. Berthoud took command of the fourth set early, establishing a 6-2 lead. After Mountain View answered with a short two-point rally, Berthoud rattled off 14 straight with Trinity Penny serving to take the wind out of the Lady Lions sails and win the set by a comfortable 25-10 final. In the fifth and final set Berthoud’s play was not quite as scintillating as it was in the fourth, but the outcome was never in doubt as they took the set by a 15-10 final.
Several Berthoud players explained that having to battle the full five sets against Mountain View will be of aid to the team when they face the best of the best at state. As freshman Teagan Holmes explained, “We can remember back to this and know that we shouldn’t dig holes for ourselves, but we also know if we get down we can dig our way out, we know what kind of a team we are and how hard we can fight.”
The 12-team 4A state tournament will begin with pool play on Friday that continues through Saturday morning. The winners of each of the four three-team pools will advance to the semifinals Saturday afternoon. Berthoud will face-off with undefeated and No. 1-ranked Lewis Palmer at 3:30 p.m. on Friday and will then play Tri-Valley Conference rival Windsor on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. All matches will be held at the Denver Coliseum; start times are approximate.
- November, 13 2015
Lady Spartans repeat as regional champs
The Berthoud Volleyball team poses for a photo after winning the...
- October, 13 2016
Berthoud volleyball notches back-to-b...
By Dan Karpiel The Surveyor As they begin the homestretch of the 2016 season, the...
- October, 02 2014
Berthoud sweeps Skyline for second time
By Paula Megenhardt The Surveyor Haley Hummel digs a serve from...
- October, 26 2017
Lady Spartans split final two confere...
By Dan Karpiel The Surveyor “We talked about how it’s not how you start, it’s...
- August, 24 2017
Familiar face returns to lead BHS vol...
By Dan Karpiel The Surveyor His first stint ended with a state championship. Now returning...
- November, 21 2018
Berthoud volleyball turns in strong s...
File photo - 2018 Berthoud High School volleyball team. By Dan Karpiel The Surveyor There...
- Spring training begins for Spartan ba...
- Berthoud “Bombers” win championship i...
- Spartan baseball undefeated in April
- Boys basketball 13-10 season ends in ...
- Spartan C-team sees big success
- Spartans notch well-deserved win in s...
- Spartan golf team has enormous partic...
- Berthoud golfers win R2J Championship
- Berthoud golf team begins season swing
- Boys soccer wins in season opener
- Spartan soccer ends season on a high ...
- Berthoud soccer squad seeing signific...
- Bothun leads Spartans to second place...
- Spartans send ten runners to state cr...
- Clark wins Patriot League Cross Count...
- The 12-team playoff cannot come soon ...
- Spartans lose 14-13 in controversial ...
- Berthoud High School football game wi...
- Lady Spartans fall to Jefferson Acade...
- Thompson Valley tramples Lady Spartan...
- Berthoud girls stand out in All-Star ...
- Tychsen leads Lady Spartans to first ...
- Top five finish for girls golf
- Lady Spartan golfers battle for state...
- Spartans fall to Frederick in state s...
- Spartan softball comes back against N...
- Softball finishes regular season 20-3
- Back in the water and back winning
- Spartan swimmers set new school recor...
- Berthoud swimmers shine in Break the ...
- Berthoud boys head to state tennis to...
- Berthoud sending two lines to state c...
- Lady Spartans earn second place at re...
- Spartans steal the show at Roosevelt ...
- Brooke Nelsen leaps over 30-year scho...
- Half-mile state champion Williams ret...
Obituary – Shirley French
Community NewsBHS places third in 4A Colorado Knowledge Bowl 2024
Community NewsRide along with Berthoud’s snowplow drivers
Community NewsSpartans steal the show at Roosevelt High School
Community NewsSurveyor launches Berthoud Beat podcast
Local News
COMMUNITY CALENDAR:
Community Calendar – add an eventHomestead Fine Art Gallery First Fridays OPEN HOUSE
05 Apr 4:00 PM - 7:00 PMHomestead Fine Art Gallery First Fridays OPEN HOUSE
03 May 4:00 PM - 7:00 PMHomestead Fine Art Gallery First Fridays OPEN HOUSE
07 Jun 4:00 PM - 7:00 PMHomestead Fine Art Gallery First Fridays OPEN HOUSE
05 Jul 4:00 PM - 7:00 PMHomestead Fine Art Gallery First Fridays OPEN HOUSE
02 Aug 4:00 PM - 7:00 PMHomestead Fine Art Gallery First Fridays OPEN HOUSE
06 Sep 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM