Big dreams and hard work culminated Saturday night at the Denver Coliseum, in what some would say, was an impossible victory for the young Lady Grizzly volleyball team. Squaring off against Colorado Springs School for the final round of championship play in the 2A division, Fowler, led by head coach, Sandy Moss and assistant coach, Crystal Autry, claimed their title in three sets.
This championship marks the eleventh state title for Fowler High School volleyball and the first for Coach Moss. The Grizzlies last brought home a trophy in 2005 under the leadership of Dusty Lotrich.
CSS came to state tournament play with a 25-1 record, Fowler being their only loss the week before at regional playoffs. The young Grizzly team, made up mostly of freshmen and sophomores, came in with a 23-3 record.
Following two days of play, Fowler faced the championship match with four nearly flawless wins. Mancos and Wray on Friday were beaten in three sets each, as was Sangre de Cristo on Saturday during semi-finals. Saturday morning's match against Burlington was the only game in which Fowler suffered a loss giving one set of a four-set match to the Cougars.
By Saturday night the Grizzlies were primed to ride their winning streak all the way to the top. Performing at their peak, Fowler played their final game in almost perfect form taking set one 25-20, set two 25-21 and set three 25-13.
Lone senior, Morgan Moss, set practically every ball sent her way with a touch that never wavered, even under pressure. That skill in addition to Moss' ability to play the floor and finesse some outstanding dinks into unprotected enemy territory earned her the Class 2A State Tournament Most Valuable Player award from the Denver Post and The Rocky Mountain News.
Freshman hitter, Bethany Moss and sophomore hitter, April Gonzales reigned down hit after hit on their opponents throughout the tournament weekend with 25 kills between them in the final game. Bethany Klinkerman and Shelby Hartless also played the front line admirably, blocking shots and sending in kills of their own; two for Klink and one for Hartless.
Named to the Denver Post Class 2A All-Tournament, six-member team, Gonzales and Moss were the only two underclassmen. The other four members named, including Morgan Moss, were seniors.
