LAFAYETTE — As Niwot boys volleyball took the court at Centaurus High School on Thursday night, two major storylines were already diverging between the programs.
On one hand, the veteran Cougars were in the process of fine-tuning their skills ahead of their bid for the regional tournament. The newly hatched Warriors, by contrast, were searching for ways to improve each and every set. Both narratives played out through Niwot’s 3-0 sweep (25-11, 25-18 and 25-22) over Centaurus.
Through all three sets, the Cougars enjoyed strong game play from junior outside hitters Cooper Chudleigh and Jenu Ngialah, who combined for a number of strong serves and even more lethal kills. They utilized every weapon in their arsenal to punch out a quick win in the first game, then fell back a bit more on defense over the next two frames.
Their minds were already looking ahead toward the postseason, which is slated to begin at the start of May.
“The team knows it’s exciting, especially since last year, we were barely at the cusp of making regionals,” Ngialah said. “Now, we’re locked in for it, so that’s what I think the whole team appreciates — that we made it.”
And while he admits the team made a few mistakes here and there, which allowed the Warriors to creep back into the competition, Ngialah noted that this band of Cougars (14-3 record) has been able to press forward thanks to a heightened level of chemistry that comes along with its second year of existence.
“The key to tonight’s win was at least keeping a little bit of discipline and focus,” Ngialah said. “There were times where we would mess around, drop a couple points. It’s more of a game that would practice and hone our skills more and get just more repetition. I think it’s just to get more proficiency in all those skills and just get better and better.”
Centaurus, like many teams throughout Colorado, began its first CHSAA-sanctioned program this year. While the Warriors (3-15) have been able to string together a handful of wins, each match has been the sort of battle expected of a team of mixed talent.
Freshman setter/right-side hitter Declan Mahoney estimated that about half of Centaurus’ roster, including himself, brought in club experience. The others, he said, are still learning the ins and outs of the high school game.
He hopes that, with time, the Warriors can mold themselves into a team akin to Niwot, which itself looks forward to a potential bid to the state tournament — and maybe an even deeper run.
“I think we usually start off pretty slow,” Mahoney said. “That happens in most matches. At least it just happened to go a bit better tonight, for sure.”
