Weldon Valley volleyball pulls off the ultimate upset, headed to state
Weldon Valley volleyball has officially solidified itself as one of Class 1A's ultimate dark horses. Flatirons Academy felt the brunt of that revelation during its 1A Region 8 match on Saturday.
In 1A regional volleyball, two teams are pitted against each other for a chance to advance to the state tournament, which will be held at the Denver Coliseum next week. The high-stakes, one-match "tournament" pales in comparison to the three-team regionals of every other classification that require two victories to advance.
The Warriors entered the postseason as the No. 17 seed, meaning they had to make the long drive to Westminster to face off with No. 8 Flatirons Academy. They better gas up the bus again.
From start to finish, the Warriors left no doubt as to which squad would be getting out of there with a win. They dispatched the Bison in four sets, first losing 25-21 before storming back to take the last three sets 25-18, 25-21 and 25-12.
The victory brought them back to .500 on the year, bringing their overall record to 12-12, as they look toward what next weekend might bring. The last time the Warriors graced the Denver Coliseum, in 2023, they pulled off a similar upset.
Last year, Weldon Valley defeated No. 6 Idalia in the first round as the 11 seed, then put up a good fight against third-seeded McClave. The Cardinals eventually handed the Warriors a 3-1 loss to send them into the consolation bracket, where they blasted No. 12 Kit Carson with a clean sweep.
They ended their state tournament campaign with a 3-0 loss to Haxtun, and hope to turn around their fortunes when they take to the court again on Thursday. Fans will have to keep an eye on CHSAANow.com in the coming days to see where the Warriors end up in the final leg of the postseason. All of the weather-delayed regionals will need to be completed first.
