Live updates: Fort Collins-area teams compete at Colorado high school state volleyball tournament

It's a big weekend down in Denver for Fort Collins-area girls volleyball teams.

Three schools qualified for the Colorado high school state volleyball tournament at the Denver Coliseum: Fossil Ridge (5A), Windsor (4A), Liberty Common (3A).

Action kicks off Thursday with first-round action in the morning, followed by the second round in the evening as top-4 teams in each classification start their tournament after opening byes.

The 12-team format in each classification is double elimination until the semifinals, when it becomes single elimination. The semifinals are Saturday afternoon, while the state title games are Saturday at 6 p.m.

Follow along for the latest from our local teams at state volleyball.

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Windsor

What a comeback!

Three points from being swept in the semifinals of the Class 4A national tournament, Windsor High School’s volleyball team made a miraculous recovery to rally for a five-set win.

As a result, the Wizards will play for a state championship Saturday night at the Denver Coliseum for the first time in 26 years.

Down two sets to none and 22-13 in the third set against top-seeded Palmer Ridge, the Wizards refused to let their season end.

They used a block from North Carolina commit Julia Bohlinger and Zoe Bauer to start a run of eight consecutive points, getting two more blocks from Bohlinger and Bauer, a kill from Avery Lacy and three Palmer Ridge hitting errors.

All of a sudden, it was 22-21, and the Wizards (25-4) could actually envision the improbable comeback after dropping the first two sets and falling behind 22-13 in the third before rallying for a 28-26 victory.

Windsor won the fourth set 25-20 after again falling behind 10-3 and completed the stunning comeback with an 18-16 win in the decisive fifth set, a nail-biting affair in which every touch of the ball could seemingly end or extend the season of either team.

“We just never stop fighting,” said Lacy, a senior outside hitter. “Every time we huddled, we just came together as a team and we just emphasized never stop fighting, and it paid off at the end for us.”

The win puts Windsor, the No. 3 seed, in the state championship game at 6 p.m. against defending champion Thompson Valley, the No. 2 seed.

Thompson Valley swept Windsor in three sets Friday, forcing the Wizards into the elimination bracket, where they won a five-set thriller Saturday morning over Lutheran.

After receiving a first-round bye as one of the top four teams in the 12-team bracket, Windsor opened play in the state tournament with a five-set win Thursday over Niwot.

“The past matches just gave them a little more confidence, a little more motivation,” Windsor coach LaVerne Huston said. “Palmer Ridge was the No. 1 seed, and so we had nothing to lose.”

The only previous losses for Palmer Ridge (25-3) this season were to unbeaten Valor Christian (28-0), which will play for the Class 5A title Saturday night.

Windsor got its points in the final three sets in just about every conceivable fashion, putting up blocks that the Bears either hit into or sent shots long or wide trying to get around them. They got kills from Bohlinger, Lacy, setter Kadence Marsh and outside hitter Cailyn McCracken, many of them after impressive digs by libero Elle Faulkner and others to keep balls alive.

And their serves improved as the match went on, putting Palmer Ridge on its heels and taking away the passes that set up the high-powered attacks they used to dominate the first two sets. Rowan Starman served back-to-back aces to help Windsor battle back from a 17-14 deficit early in the fourth set, and Bohlinger served three straight aces in the fifth set.

Whatever it took to keep their season going, the Wizards found a way to get it done.

“We’re playing for our seniors right now, because some of them might not be able to touch the court again,” said Lacy, who signed Wednesday to play in college at Chadron State. “We just want to play for them and play for each other, and we’re so passionate about it.

“We just never wanted to stop fighting at the end of the game.”

Fossil Ridge

Fossil Ridge extended its stay by winning an elimination match in five sets over Cherokee Trail before bowing out with a three-set loss Friday night to No. 4 Rampart.

Rampart swept the No. 8 SaberCats 25-21, 25-17, 25-10 to advance to another elimination at 8 a.m. Saturday against Cherry Creek.

Both of Fossil Ridge's wins in the state tournament came in five sets, and both of its losses were in three.

Friday morning, the SaberCats (21-8) outlasted Cherokee Trail 25-19, 19-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-6.

Middle blocker Erin Hermann had 15 kills and was in on a handful of blocks, including one with Makayla Dorsey to close out the match. Delaney Ewing, also a middle blocker, and outside hitter Maya Siple added 12 kills apiece.

Ally Nowak served three straight aces and Emma Grace Moddelmog had two in a row early in the third set to help the SaberCats take control. Fossil Ridge had seven service aces in that set.

Fossil Ridge outlasted Chatfield in a five-set opening match Thursday, only to get swept later in the day by unbeaten and No. 1 seed Valor Christian 24-18, 25-10, 25-14 and knocked into the elimination bracket.

Liberty Common

Liberty Common’s season ended the way it started, with a loss to Faith Christian in a hard-fought match.

This time, it was in an elimination game Friday at the Class 3A state tournament.

Liberty Common (14-11) held its own and even had leads midway through each of the first two sets before winning the third. But Faith Christian, the No. 4 seed, took control in the fourth set with strong serving and adjusted attacks to get around the Liberty Common block to claim a 25-21, 27-25, 14-25, 25-14 victory.

Faith Christian had opened its season with a five-set win at Liberty Common on Aug. 23.

“They were the bookends to our season,” Liberty Common senior Reina Krueger said. “I’m really proud of my team, and the season we had. At least we won a set here (at state) this year.”

Liberty Common had 10 blocks in Friday’s match, including three in a row early in the second set.

Krueger was in on seven of those blocks, and Sarah Bartels was in on four.

Karli Krueger, Reina’s younger sister, finished had 17 kills, while Reina had 15.

Liberty Common came into the postseason as the No. 15 seed in the 36-team playoff field but upset Moffat County and host Prospect Ridge Academy in three sets apiece to win a regional championship and earn a No. 11 seed in the 12-team state tournament.

“I’m glad that we played to our ability and not to the seed that was given to us,” said Liberty Common coach Brian Krueger, the father of Reina and Karli.

Liberty Common fell into the elimination bracket in the state tournament after being swept in its first-round match Thursday by Patriot League rival University.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Live updates: Fossil Ridge, Windsor play in state volleyball tournament