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Girls volleyball; Road to state

This morning (Tuesday, November 11th), the Falcons faced off against Ralston Valley at World Arena in Colorado Springs. The HR girls volleyball team, seeded 9th in the 5A state volleyball tournament, played strong today in a tough loss against Ralston Valley High School on their road to state. 

The ladies stepped onto the court with power, winning the first set 25-17. Lauren Markwell, junior defensive specialist, and Dani Cranford, junior outside hitter, came out with strong serves, scoring several points to give the falcons the lead. 


HR conferences after winning the first set. Photo by Kirstie Ko.

Ralston Valley quickly pulled ahead during the beginning of the second set; leading 5-1, but not for long. Jolie Cranford, senior outside hitter, along with her sister Dani, were able to set each other up for several hits, bringing the Falcons within one point of Ralston Valley. Jolie continued to hit kills during the set, but despite this HR struggled to defend and lost the second set 16-24. 

This defensive struggle continued as Ralston Valley managed to hold a 5 point lead on HR in the third set. A comeback from Jolie led the Falcons to within three points of their opponent, and another kill from Dani left players diving on the floor. Despite their hard work, the ladies just didn’t have enough time to pull off a comeback, losing the third set 21-25. 

Throughout the fourth set, the tension was felt throughout the crowd as both teams struggled to gain a lead. Careless mistakes dug the Falcons into a difficult hole. Strong serves coming from Lillie Lynch, senior middle hitter, and Nicole Johnston, senior setter, kept the Falcons in the game, but they were unable to put up the points needed to continue the game. 

Jolie said, “Today didn’t go the way we expected but the great thing is that tomorrow is a completely new day. This season isn’t over yet and we are given another opportunity to compete so I hope we take that and run with it.”

Ralston Valley won the final set 25-12, and will face the #1 seed, Cherry Creek High School, at 2pm to continue their road to the championship. HR, now relegated to the losers bracket, will have another chance to play again on Friday, November 12th, at 11AM at World Arena to fight for their place.


HR shakes hands with Ralston Valley after a tough loss. Photo by Kirstie Ko.

Camryn Montgomery, Online Editor

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Girls volleyball; Road to state