When Lyons volleyball busted onto the Class 2A scene last year, making it just one stop short of the state semifinals, its story was just beginning.
The exit of four starters from that squad may have one thinking the Lions would need a rewrite, but if anything, the script is following the same pattern — just with a new cast of characters. So far this season, the Lions are enjoying a perfect 8-0 record and the No. 3 ranking in CHSAA’s Selection & Seeding Index.
It’s so perfect, in fact, that they’ve only lost four sets. Even while pulling three starters up from junior varsity.
“It’s a brand new team,” junior middle hitter Michaela Coleman said. “We’re basically starting over. We all just love each other so much and you could tell that we really flow as a team. I think that that’s where the good start is coming from. We all are just so naturally together and the team chemistry is just so good that everything else just flows naturally. We don’t have to really think about it.”
The Lions return Coleman and junior outside hitters Annabelle Hay and Audrey Voss to the lineup, who combine 220 kills. Coleman’s 96 ranks her at 12th in the classification. And they’re not alone as far as the talent they bring.
They called up sophomore setter Carmen Dumbauld — who’s second in 2A with 227 assists — as well as junior libero Gwen Gadbaw and senior middle blocker Poet MacKinnon, who transferred from Shining Mountain.
Dumbauld, despite her eye-popping stats through just 28 sets, said her transition to starting setter — a position she normally reserved for club ball — was a bit “scary” at first, but the older girls gave her the confidence she needed to excel. Even if she made a tiny mistake here or there.
“They were so supportive,” she said. “They really just picked me up and pushed me to where I am now. We’re all here doing the same thing. We all have the same goals. ”
Collectively, the starters and newcomers have created an environment that’s just as lethal as last year.
“We’d had these guys waiting in the wings a little bit,” head coach Marcus Richardson said. “They’re all very experienced that are coming in to replace those seniors, and they’ve filled in great. It’s difficult to compare (lineups), but with all of the hitters back and a new dynamic setter, we’re able to compete at our level, at a high level. It’s really because Michaela, Annabelle and Audrey are fantastic hitters.”
They’ve only had one scare so far. Earlier this month, the Lions had to battle the full five sets against Ascent Classical Academy. It pushed them to the limit, as evidenced by a 30-28 third set, but they were able to overcome the mental hurdles that plagued them during their usual “second-set lull” to come out on top.
What came out of it was a team that was even stronger than before. One that the girls hope will carry them to victory against Flatirons Academy next week. Last year, the Bison robbed them of their shot at a Mile High League title.
That championship is the first goal on the agenda. The second is another deep run at the state tournament and, maybe, a shot at the state crown.
“That was the most mentally tough game I think I’ve ever played,” Coleman said of the Ascent Classical match. “It was just so hard. It was back and forth, back and forth. Our energy was up and down. It really showed how we can get through those things together.”