At the Cougars’ first match of the season on Tuesday, 8/29, Coronado’s varsity volleyball team proved to be a force to be reckoned with as they defeated Colorado Springs Metro League (CSML) rival Liberty three sets to none. The Lancers were unable to keep up with the team, as the team’s nine seniors began their final season for Coronado volleyball with a bang.

With the student section cheering her on, Jaelyn Hershberger, 12, produced 12 kills over the course of the match. Another outstanding performance was that of Delaney St. Pierre, another senior, whose versatility was showcased as she racked up 30 assists, six kills, and four aces. Other players who helped advance the Cougars offensively to their 25-20, 25-4, and 25-18 victory were right side Lacey Redinger, 11, and middle Mara Abernethy, 12, who contributed 5 blocks. In the end, the Cougars’ all-around strong performance gave Coronado an edge over the more error-prone Liberty team.

Up next was 2016 5A State Championship Runner-Up Mountain Vista. The team went into the match optimistic with their chances, having graduated only one senior after the 2016 season, and the Golden Eagles having graduated eight seniors from their varsity roster.

In the first set, unfortunate defensive errors by the Cougars gave Mountain Vista a 5-10 lead early in the match. And, although the Cougars made up several points with two aces by Ashlynn Garcia, 12,  and a block by Delaney St. Pierre, the Cougars could not overcome Vista’s strong offense and ended up losing the set 21-25.

In the second set however, the Cougars put their best foot forward, and with great serving and aggressive offense by the team as a whole, they handily took the set 25-15. In the third set the Cougars struggled to cover short balls on defense, and were quickly down by five points. From there, the Cougars’ deficit only widened as their hitters were neutralized by a strong opposing block. The deficit widened to nine points, a gap that the Cougars could not overcome. The Cougars struggled with defense as the match progressed, and it showed in the final stats: Mountain Vista racked up a total of 111 digs over the course of the game, Coronado had only 77.

In the fourth set, Jaelyn Hershberger led the team to a 7-3 lead as she excelled offensively. However, they soon gave up their lead as their communication deteriorated, and from there on out the Cougars lost momentum as Vista’s talented offense got rolling, eventually losing in four sets.

Standout offensive players of the Mountain Vista match included Abernethy, who had 11 kills and 9 blocks, Hershberger with 10 kills and 4 aces, and setter St. Pierre with 25 assists. Defensively, libero Bethany Heitland put up 25 digs for the team.

Catch the Cougars at the Elizabeth Early Bird Tournament on Saturday, 9/9, where they will take on teams from around the Front Range and aim to win the competition for the second straight year. Good luck, Cougars!