Coronado vs. Mountain Vista

The Coronado student section was packed with Cougar Crazies Thursday night as the Cougars played their third match of the season against Mountain Vista. The delayed match began after a burned popcorn incident with a tough set for the Cougars, ending 25-13 in Mountain Vista’s favor. The second set was a different story. A neck-and-neck battle took place, with only three points giving Mountain Vista their second set victory. The third set of the match was lit up with electrifying blocks by Val Harvey, 11, that left the crowd cheering. Another close set, the final score was a mere 25-20 with Mountain Vista taking the match, leading their overall record to 2-0.

Leading in kills for the match were Juniors Jaelyn Hershberger and Mallory Brown, with 6 each, followed by Mara Abernethy with 5. With a smashing 5 aces was Captain Delaney St. Pierre, 10.

Mountain Vista provides strong competition, being ranked 11^th in the preseason 5A rankings for this season, as well as being #1 preceding Regionals last year. There they met the Cougars, ranked #33, for a five set phenomenon which ended with a trip to State for Coronado last year.

Coronado vs. Liberty

Coronado took home a win against two days before in a tight match against Liberty. The scores were exceptionally close, set wins alternating between teams; 25-19 Coronado, 19-25 Liberty, 26-24 Coronado, 20-25 Liberty, 15-11 Coronado. The match was marked by great defense by Ashlynn Garcia, 11, and Bethany Heitland, 11, as well as a whopping 13 kills by both Jaelyn Hershberger and Mara Abernethy.

Stormie Wells, head coach of varsity, was satisfied with the win, and was “thrilled with the tenacity that we displayed during the Liberty match – that one could have easily slipped away were we not determined and resilient at the end.” She is confident in her team with eight returning members, “This group is exceptionally optimistic, hardworking, affirming, and kind.” However, she knows that to maintain such a positive team dynamic, they will need to be diligent, and likened the situation to caring for a crop.

The Cougars’ next match is away against Rampart at home on Tuesday, September 6, at 6pm.