Copyright Boulder Daily Camera
Many high school sports teams like to use the term “family” to describe the type of close-knit culture they aspire to achieve. Mead volleyball takes that to a different level as it now moves into the state tournament. Senior cousins Elena Gomez and Rylee Klatt have helped lead the Mavericks from the front line as middle hitter and outside hitter, and have done so with a bond that transcends the game. They’ve been ever-present in each other’s lives, save for the first 13 days that Klatt lived without Gomez. How many cousins can say they were born two weeks apart? “Our lives are so blended, which I feel like is special,” Klatt said. “I don’t have a sister, so it’s like a built-in sister for me. When we need to get the job done, I know that I can always rely on her. She knows that she can rely on me because you just innately trust the other person.” Their love for sport started at big family events in the boys-vs.-girls soccer games, but has carried on into their own Maverick destinies. While they complement each other well on the volleyball court — Gomez leads the team with 206 kills and Klatt backs her up with 159 — they’ve each taken separate paths in other sports. Klatt focuses on the sprint scene in track and field while Gomez adds soccer and basketball to her résumé. They’ve become each other’s personal sounding board during in-game action. “We often encourage each other and give each other reminders when one may be struggling,” Gomez said. “We know that when we talk to each other personally, that it’s coming from a place of full truth and transparency and the best interest of each other, because we know each other better than anyone else on the court. It just makes it really effective when we’re able to uplift each other.” They helm a team that won its 4A Region 9 home tournament over the weekend to secure its spot for state. First, Mead defeated No. 28 Steamboat Springs in straight sets (25-15, 25-14, 25-22), then moved on to beat No. 16 Conifer 25-16, 25-14, 27-29, 25-12. The Mavericks will head to the Denver Coliseum on Thursday with a 17-8 record and a first-round date with No. 8 Battle Mountain. The match is set to begin at 8 a.m. “I think it was good to play faceless opponents, because we’ve never really had a game this season where our opponent hasn’t been someone that we know or they haven’t had a record that we know of,” Klatt said. “It was good in that sense, because going into state, there will be teams that we haven’t seen before. It was also good to not underestimate any teams.” They were just one of two local teams who made it out of regionals. Full regional volleyball results Class 5A Region 8: No. 17 Niwot pulled off the upset over No. 8 Pueblo West (18-25, 25-20, 18-25, 25-23, 15-13) to secure its ticket to the state tournament, after having earlier defeated No. 29 Horizon 3-0. The Cougars will enter the final leg of the postseason with a 19-6 record. Region 9: Legacy hadn’t lost a match since Sept. 2, but at its own regional on Saturday, No. 16 Dakota Ridge stunned the Lightning into submission, winning 25-20, 25-21, 22-25, 25-13. It brought Legacy’s season to a screeching halt at 21-4 after it defeated No. 28 Chatfield 3-0 in the earlier match. Region 10: No. 15 Monarch put up a good fight against No. 27 Eaglecrest, winning 3-2 (25-17, 14-25, 25-23, 24-26, 15-9), but ultimately couldn’t handle No. 10 Pine Creek in a 3-0 loss. The Coyotes ended their run at 19-6. Region 3: No. 34 Frederick won one game against No. 22 Erie with a 3-2 marathon (25-21, 21-25, 23-25, 25-20, 24-22), but ultimately fell 3-0 to No. 3 Rock Canyon. The Tigers, likewise, couldn’t clear either of the hurdles they faced. Frederick ended its run at 14-11, while Erie went 15-10. Region 2: No. 35 Centaurus faced a steep uphill battle when it faced No. 2 Valor Christian and No. 23 Castle View. While the Warriors couldn’t stop Valor Christian in a 3-0 loss, they did manage to steal one set off of the Sabercats, who won 25-17, 25-22, 20-25, 25-23. The Warriors finished off at 13-12. Class 4A Region 9: No. 9 Mead beat both No. 28 Steamboat Springs (25-15, 25-14, 25-22) and No. 16 Conifer (25-16, 25-14, 27-29, 25-12) to win a state bid, and the Mavericks now sit at 17-8. Region 10: No. 27 Longmont managed to pull off the 3-1 upset over host Green Mountain (18-25, 25-16, 25-6, 25-23) as each team in the region won one match. Green Mountain, ultimately, earned the state bid as the Trojans fell 3-0 to Roosevelt. They wrapped up with an 11-14 record. Region 6: No. 31 Holy Family faced a tall task, and ultimately fell to No. 6 Mullen (25-20, 25-22, 25-14) and No. 19 Timnath (25-16, 21-25, 25-22, 25-19) despite putting up a good fight. The Tigers ended their season at 8-17. Region 1: No. 36 Silver Creek made the postseason by the skin of their teeth, but still managed to pull one over on No. 24 Palmer with the 3-1 win (25-17, 25-15, 22-25, 25-16). A 3-0 loss to No. 1 Montrose, however, sent them packing until next fall with a 9-16 record. Class 3A Region 12: No. 12 Prospect Ridge Academy drew one of the tougher regions, welcoming No. 13 Village who ultimately beat it 3-1 to earn the state spot. The Miners, however, did defeat No. 25 Montezuma-Cortez in a 3-2 war (20-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-14, 15-6) to polish off their record at 18-7. Region 6: No. 19 Peak to Peak managed to pull off the quick victory over No. 31 St. Mary’s Academy (25-22, 25-23, 25-21), but the Pumas ultimately fell victim to host Bayfield, who beat them 3-0. They wrapped up the fall at 14-11. Region 8: No. 29 Jefferson Academy couldn’t get the better of either No. 8 Sterling or No. 17 Lamar, but the Jaguars did give the Thunder a good show in their 3-2 loss (25-21, 22-25, 20-25, 25-15, 15-7). They completed their run at 8-17. Class 2A Region 4: No. 4 Lyons suffered a massive upset at the hands of No. 21 Yuma, who beat the Lions 3-0 to take the state ticket from them. Lions, earlier, defeated No. 33 SkyView Academy 25-10, 25-13, 25-19 before ending their season at 22-3.
