Cheyenne Mountain slips past Pine Creek

Sixteen kills by Maddie Beal and a monster fourth set lifted Cheyenne Mountain to a 25-16, 22-25, 25-21, 25-9 nonconference victory Monday over visiting Pine Creek.

Holding a 2-1 lead in sets, Cheyenne Mountain dominated in the fourth. The Indians opened with a 19-4 lead during which all of Pine Creek’s points came as a result of Cheyenne Mountain service errors. After the Eagles put together a rally to make it 19-8, Cheyenne Mountain scored six of the final seven points to secure its 15th win against three losses.

“Everything was going together,” Cheyenne Mountain coach David Barkley said. “We’re capable of that and that’s why in practice our drills are centered around eliminating unforced errors. When we do, we’re a fun team to watch.”

Beal added two solo blocks, four assisted blocks and a service ace. Mara Barkley had 10 kills, while setter Monique Domme had five kills, three aces, two assisted blocks and 35 assists.
Mackenzie Swan led Pine Creek (14-4) with 10 kills.

With districts having been eliminated from the state tournament, teams were given an extra week of regular-season competition. Both Pine Creek and Cheyenne Mountain opted to make it as tough as possible.

For Pine Creek, Monday’s match was a chance to face one more elite opponent prior to taking on Doherty on Wednesday for the 5A Metro League championship. The Eagles will then play in a tournament at Ponderosa on Saturday where they will face Eagle Crest and Chatfield.

Cheyenne Mountain, meanwhile, will host a tournament Friday and Saturday that will feature eight solid programs.

“I sat down with my AD this winter and said ‘these are the teams I want to play,’” Barkley said. “I know we might take losses playing them, but the most important thing is that we get ready to play at state.”

Cheyenne Mountain looks ready to take on anybody.

“We really wanted a special night for senior night,” said senior Megan Schultz, who had six kills. “It’s good to have a win against a really good team.”