There is concern among volleyball parents in the North Metro/Northern Colorado area (north or I-70) that the overall quality of the club and high school volleyball programs is weaker than other parts of the Front Range.
Discussions with club directors and high school coaches say there are plenty of good coaches, but there are too many programs. That means there aren’t enough good players for all the programs. They also point out that the sport is growing and there is greater depth. That means there is more equity among the teams.
Let’s take a look at how the North Metro/Northern Colorado teams did in the regional and state tournament.
In the CHSAA 5A regional playoffs the Northern teams were represented by 9 teams and they were 6-12 in match play. Sadly, only Fairview advanced to state.
| Region | School | Record in Regionals |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Fossil Ridge | 1-1 |
| 4 | Loveland | 1-1 |
| 5 | Poudre | 0-2 |
| 6 | Brighton | 0-2 |
| 6 | Legacy | 0-2 |
| 7 | RockyMountain | 1-1 |
| 8 | Fort Collins | 0-2 |
| 9 | Boulder | 0-2 |
| 11 | Fairview | 1-1 |
| Total | Northern 5A | 6-12 |
Fairview represented the North Metro area/Northern Colorado well by finishing second at state. They were 3-2 in the tournament. They won 9 sets and lost eight and they won 50.3% of the points played (384-379).
The following table shows that Northern 4A teams had a strong showing in the regional championships. Nine of the 36 teams in the regional competition were from the northern region and 6 of the teams qualified for state. The northern 4A teams were 16-7 in match play.
| Region | School | Record in Regionals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weld Central | 0-2 |
| 4 | Holy Family | 2-0 |
| 4 | Niwot | 1-1 |
| 6 | Longmont | 2-0 |
| 7 | Windsor | 2-0 |
| 8 | Erie | 1-2 |
| 8 | Silver Creek | 3-1 |
| 11 | Berthoud | 2-0 |
| 12 | Mead | 3-1 |
| Total | Northern 4A | 16-7 |
|
Note: Erie, Silver Creek, and Mead had playoffs in their pool play. Silver Creek and Mead advanced to state.
On the first day of the state tournament, the 4A teams played 7 matches and were 0-7. They did not even win a set. Silver Creek was the only North Metro/Northern Colorado team to win a set against a team from outside that region when they lost 3-1 to Delta. Overall, the teams from the Northern area were 2-10, with the only wins coming against teams from the region.
| School | Matches W-L | Sets W-L | Points W-L | % Points Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holy Family | 0-2 | 0-6 | 97-150 | 29.3% |
| Longmont | 1-1 | 3-3 | 136-141 | 49.1% |
| Windsor | 1-1 | 3-4 | 132-147 | 47.3% |
| Silver Creek | 0-2 | 1-6 | 123-169 | 42.1% |
| Berthoud | 0-2 | 0-6 | 113-150 | 43.0% |
| Mead | 0-2 | 1-6 | 117-172 | 40.5% |
| Total – Northern 4A | 2-10 | 9-36 | 718-929 | 43.6% |
There are a number of strong players in the North Metro/Northern Colorado region. However, with the exception of Fairview they were not competitive with the top teams in the state. Is the weak performance from the North a function of a shortage of strong coaches and club programs (as some parents claim) or is it a result of too many programs and not enough good players on a team (as the club directors suggest)? Good question.