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Panthers season sees early end
  
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Marvin Olberding
Woodland Park head volleyball coach Stacy Roshek said it didn’t seem right to have things end the way they did. To not have the chance to compete at regionals with a team this talented, this cohesive, this fun— it just didn’t sit right with her.
Unfortunately, that’s how things turned out on Halloween morning, as the Panthers fell to Cheyenne Mountain, the No. 2 team in the state in Class 4A, 25-15, 25-12, 25-16.
Woodland Park knew a match-up with the Indians was looming, but they were hoping to have it on different terms.
Heading into the district tournament, Oct. 30-31 at Cheyenne Mountain High School, the Panthers’ goal was to win each of their first two games Oct. 30 against Pueblo South and Falcon to earn the top seed in their three-team pool, which would have meant a match with the Indians was only possible after clinching a spot in the regional tournament.
The Panthers took the first step toward their goal in the first match, closing things out with Pueblo South by posting back-to-back 25-18 games to win in four games after splitting the first two.
Senior Kira Roberts posted six of the team’s 17 aces, as well as six blocks for the Panthers, while fellow seniors Tessie Koziol and Katy Lindquist had 12 and 10 digs, respectively, to lead the defense.
“We hadn’t played volleyball in two days because of the snow, so they were pretty fired up to get out there and play,” Roshek said of the team’s performance. “They played really well that first match.”
After the win, the Panthers stayed on the court to play their match against Falcon and it’s much tighter defense. The Falcons started off by winning the first two games— the second of which saw Falcon score 11 straight to close— but the Panthers fought back in a game that saw three big momentum changes.
After falling behind 8-6, the Panthers responded by winning six of the next eight points, only to see the Falcons come right back to grab seven of eight to make it 17-13. After a time out, Woodland Park grabbed the next four to tie and then, after splitting the next 10 points, the Panthers closed out the game with three straight points to keep the match alive.
The momentum was short-lived, however, as the Falcons roared out of the gate in the fourth game, building a 16-5 lead on their way to winning the game and the match, 25-22, 25-19, 22-25, 25-14.
“We had a couple mental breakdowns that cost us the game,” Roshek said. “We let them get into it, and they took it from us.”
To assure a spot on the second day, the Panthers won a one-game playoff with Pueblo South after all three teams in the pool went 1-1, setting up the next morning’s match with the host team.
The Panthers came out swinging against the Indians from the opening serve, scoring the first seven points of the match and sending the Panther faithful who made the trip down the mountain into a frenzy. But the Indians responded in a big way, winning the next nine points and added another streak of six straight to take control.
Heading into what would be the final game of their season, the Panthers proved they would not stop fighting until the final whistle.
On the first point of the game, a hard serve by the Indians ate up a Panther defender, whose pass attempt went backward and toward the ceiling. The ball took two bounces off the basketball backboard, which had been raised above the court, before coming down. Roberts, not giving up on the play, chased it down and passed it forward to Lindquist, who scored the point against a stunned Indian defense.
The Panthers fought tooth-and-nail throughout the game, but could never take complete control. With an 11-10 lead, Cheyenne Mountain scored eight straight points to put things out of reach and close out the match.
Afterward, the coach lamented over a 16-6 season that seemed to end at least one step too soon.
“They’re such a fun group, just an amazing group of girls,” Roshek said. “I really enjoyed coaching them this year. There were eight strong seniors that were coachable, worked hard and played hard. It was definitely a rewarding season. The frustrating part is that we had such an awesome season, and then we don’t make it out of districts.”
As disappointed as they were, Panther players were quick to tell how much fun the season had been.
“This was one of the best seasons I, personally, have ever had,” Roberts said. “This group of girls, we’re all so close having played together for four years. It has been amazing.”
“I couldn’t have asked to be a part of a better group of girls,” Koziol added. “Even though we are done, we’ve had an amazing ride.”
Woodland Park head volleyball coach Stacy Roshek said it didn’t seem right to have things end the way they did. To not have the chance to compete at regionals with a team this talented, this cohesive, this fun— it just didn’t sit right with her.
Unfortunately, that’s how things turned out on Halloween morning, as the Panthers fell to Cheyenne Mountain, the No. 2 team in the state in Class 4A, 25-15, 25-12, 25-16.
Woodland Park knew a match-up with the Indians was looming, but they were hoping to have it on different terms.
Heading into the district tournament, Oct. 30-31 at Cheyenne Mountain High School, the Panthers’ goal was to win each of their first two games Oct. 30 against Pueblo South and Falcon to earn the top seed in their three-team pool, which would have meant a match with the Indians was only possible after clinching a spot in the regional tournament.
The Panthers took the first step toward their goal in the first match, closing things out with Pueblo South by posting back-to-back 25-18 games to win in four games after splitting the first two.
Senior Kira Roberts posted six of the team’s 17 aces, as well as six blocks for the Panthers, while fellow seniors Tessie Koziol and Katy Lindquist had 12 and 10 digs, respectively, to lead the defense.
“We hadn’t played volleyball in two days because of the snow, so they were pretty fired up to get out there and play,” Roshek said of the team’s performance. “They played really well that first match.”
After the win, the Panthers stayed on the court to play their match against Falcon and it’s much tighter defense. The Falcons started off by winning the first two games— the second of which saw Falcon score 11 straight to close— but the Panthers fought back in a game that saw three big momentum changes.
After falling behind 8-6, the Panthers responded by winning six of the next eight points, only to see the Falcons come right back to grab seven of eight to make it 17-13. After a time out, Woodland Park grabbed the next four to tie and then, after splitting the next 10 points, the Panthers closed out the game with three straight points to keep the match alive.
The momentum was short-lived, however, as the Falcons roared out of the gate in the fourth game, building a 16-5 lead on their way to winning the game and the match, 25-22, 25-19, 22-25, 25-14.
“We had a couple mental breakdowns that cost us the game,” Roshek said. “We let them get into it, and they took it from us.”
To assure a spot on the second day, the Panthers won a one-game playoff with Pueblo South after all three teams in the pool went 1-1, setting up the next morning’s match with the host team.
The Panthers came out swinging against the Indians from the opening serve, scoring the first seven points of the match and sending the Panther faithful who made the trip down the mountain into a frenzy. But the Indians responded in a big way, winning the next nine points and added another streak of six straight to take control.
Heading into what would be the final game of their season, the Panthers proved they would not stop fighting until the final whistle.
On the first point of the game, a hard serve by the Indians ate up a Panther defender, whose pass attempt went backward and toward the ceiling. The ball took two bounces off the basketball backboard, which had been raised above the court, before coming down. Roberts, not giving up on the play, chased it down and passed it forward to Lindquist, who scored the point against a stunned Indian defense.
The Panthers fought tooth-and-nail throughout the game, but could never take complete control. With an 11-10 lead, Cheyenne Mountain scored eight straight points to put things out of reach and close out the match.
Afterward, the coach lamented over a 16-6 season that seemed to end at least one step too soon.
“They’re such a fun group, just an amazing group of girls,” Roshek said. “I really enjoyed coaching them this year. There were eight strong seniors that were coachable, worked hard and played hard. It was definitely a rewarding season. The frustrating part is that we had such an awesome season, and then we don’t make it out of districts.”
As disappointed as they were, Panther players were quick to tell how much fun the season had been.
“This was one of the best seasons I, personally, have ever had,” Roberts said. “This group of girls, we’re all so close having played together for four years. It has been amazing.”
“I couldn’t have asked to be a part of a better group of girls,” Koziol added. “Even though we are done, we’ve had an amazing ride.”
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