Cowboys crowned regional champions

After a devastating, 5-set defeat at the hands of Colorado Springs Christian in the regional tournament last year, the Cowboy volleyball team was finally crowned regional champions on Nov. 9.

The girls swept the North Fork Miners and the Vanguard School Coursers on Saturday at home. The back-to-back victories secured GHS’s first volleyball regional championship in 11 years, and qualification for the 3A state tournament on Nov. 14 and 15.

“This team is so strong and mentally tough,” said Head Coach Lindsay Hart. “They learned a bunch of lessons from last year, and they knew what they had to do.”

On Saturday, foul weather in the Front Range delayed the Colorado Springs-based Vanguard School by almost three hours. The Cowboys kept themselves occupied with a 3-0 victory against North Fork in the tournament’s opening matchup.

Sienna Gomez was ruthless on offense. The senior earned 10 kills against the Miners to lead the team at the net. Aubrey Welfelt and Amara Lock earned nine and eight kills each, and continued their impressive seasons in attack. Rose Kowal and Gomez led the Cowboys in blocks. The pair of seniors stonewalled the Miners offense three times each.

The collective effort of the seven Cowboy players earned a swift victory in the opening round, winning 3-0 and advancing on to play the Coursers after a lengthy travel delay.

“We’ve had a lot of experience with changing times, and scheduling mixups,” Hart said. “These girls have become really good at getting warmed up and ready, when they need to be warm and ready. We’ve had experience refueling between two big games, and handled it really well.”

At 5 p.m., the Cowboys finally faced off against the Coursers in the regional championship. In the first set, GHS jumped out to an early lead thanks to hard hits from Welfelt and Gomez. The Cowboys gained momentum from the rowdy student section, and the GHS gymnasium pulsed with chants of, “They need water,” at each Courser timeout.

The home court advantage proved fruitful, and GHS skipped away with a 25-17 victory in the first. In the second set, Kathryn Frey quite literally rose above the competition. The senior was crucial on defense, earning three blocks, and sending the Cowboy bullpen into raptures.

The Coursers played tough on defense, and kept the contest close, trailing only a handful of points at a time. Hart called a crucial timeout late in the set. The Cowboys regrouped, and immediately piled on the pressure again. The set ended 25-22 for GHS, and deflated the Courser bench after the team came up short again.

In the third set, the Cowboys put the contest to bed with consistent play. Welfelt was a digging machine all evening long. The junior earned a team high 15 digs against the Coursers, and was a motor for the Cowboys attack. Vanguard struggled to keep up, and once again, GHS secured a statement victory, 25-19 — winning the regional championship 3-0.

After the final point, the GHS gym exploded with celebration. The Cowboys dogpiled on the court, and the Cowboy Bullpen swarmed the players shooting confetti cannons. Hart received the championship plaque with tears streaming down her face, and handed it off to senior leaders.

While the regional championship is a massive milestone for the GHS volleyball program, the job isn’t quite finished yet. The girls will next compete in the state championship, first taking on Centauri on Nov. 14. The Cowboys will need to navigate past Colorado’s top teams to lift the state championship trophy. But for now, Hart is celebrating a special regional performance, and another huge step for the program.

“This game was redemption, I almost didn’t believe it was real,” Hart said. “I think I was emotional because I know how far this group has come, and finally realizing that we did something huge. I couldn’t be more proud of this group of girls.”

(Alex McCrindle can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or alex@gunnisontimes.com.)