As close as it gets: Valor Christian stuns Fossil Ridge in 5-set state title thriller

DENVER — You can't get much closer than that.

"We had it," SaberCats players said through tears on the floor afterward.

Fossil Ridge couldn't hold on to a fifth-set lead against unbeaten, defending champion Valor Christian, falling to the top-seeded Eagles 21-25, 25-16, 25-13, 19-25, 15-12 in the Class 5A volleyball state championship Saturday night at the Denver Coliseum.

The SaberCats roared back from a 2-1 set deficit via a dominant fourth set and had the title within reach, up 12-8 in the fifth.

But Valor Christian (29-0) showed why it's Colorado's premier program, rallying for the final seven points to stun the seventh-seeded SaberCats.

"I’m still in disbelief we didn’t win, to be honest," said Fossil coach Natalie Burton.

"I knew they weren’t going to hand it to us," said junior hitter Erin Herrmann. "We just kept fighting, but it was tough watching them creep back."

Valor Christian capped off consecutive 5A state titles and extended its win streak to 58 matches, a remarkably dominant run in a sport like volleyball.

How it happened: Live updates for Fort Collins teams at Colorado 5A state volleyball championship

Fossil Ridge was just the sixth team to even take a set off this Eagles squad over the past two seasons.

Even that stat doesn't indicate how high quality this match was.

Fossil Ridge rose to the occasion, matching a taller Valor Christian squad shot for shot at the net and tracking down dozens of diving digs to keep points alive.

This was very different from the season opener in August, when Valor dominated Fossil in a sweep.

This time, it was championship volleyball from both sides.

"That’s the best match I’ve ever been part of," Herrmann said. "We felt like a Division I college team competing for a national championship.

"It was the best, cleanest volleyball we’ve played, all tournament really."

Burton added: "You look on this court and see college players across the board. You don’t see that at this level. So you're grateful to be part of that and embrace the competition."

This year's squad almost accomplished it all.

Fossil Ridge finished with 21 wins in its last 23 matches, including two victories over No. 2 Chaparral at state.

The SaberCats (25-5) also returned to the title match for the first time since 2016, when they won the 5A championship.

They claimed the Front Range League title with a 13-0 mark, swept the city crown, dropped just 18 sets in 30 matches and reached the Coliseum for the fifth time in eight years.

Senior standouts like Delaney Ewing, Danielle Burchett and Hadlee Kaiser joined forces with potent underclassmen in Hermann, Kaylee Piepho, Emery Johnson, Makayla Dorsey and Ally Nowak. They went from 3-3 in September to playing for the state title in a winner-take-all fifth set.

Culmination isn't the right word, exactly. No, this was total proof of concept for the culture Fossil has built under Burton, their third-year coach who has brought the SaberCats back to elite levels.

"We got so much better from every loss and it was all to be here," Burton said. "They’re a special group, and they loved every part of being a team."

"This is the most connected team I've ever played on," Herrmann said.

This was a team that only had four returning varsity players from last year's squad that went 2-2 here at state.

So maybe these SaberCats were even ahead of schedule.

In the moments after a painful loss that capped a special run, there was already talk of finishing the job next year.

"It was so fun coming in as the underdog," Herrman said. "And then we did so much more than we ever thought we could.

"We’ll be back and better for it next time."

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado 5A volleyball title: Valor Christian stuns Fossil Ridge in 5-set thriller