Lady Bulldogs end season with top six finish at State Tournament

Only six teams remain in each classification's bracket as of Saturday morning of the Colorado State Volleyball tournament and in their first year returning to 2A, the Lady Bulldogs were one of the top six teams in the State. Haxtun entered the 2024 playoff bracket as the ninth ranked team following a Region 12 Championship just three days prior to the start of the Colorado State Volleyball Tournament.

Haxtun's road at the State Tournament started early on Thursday morning as the ninth ranked Lady Bulldogs took on eighth seeded Del Norte to kick action off on the 2A court. The Bulldogs earned a sweep, 25-21, 25-18 and 25-21, in their first outing at the Denver Coliseum last week. That win pitted the hometown ladies in red in a match up with Simla later that afternoon.

Simla, who entered the bracket as the top team, had a first round bye, putting them on the court against the Lady Bulldogs in their State Tournament debut on Thursday afternoon. The Lady Cubs took sets one and two, 25-22 and 25-15 but Haxtun played the number one team tight, taking set three 25-23. The 2A court was loud and active throughout the fourth, but the Cubs came out on top, 25-27 to advance to the third round. The loss for the Lady Bulldogs sent the team to the elimination bracket.

Friday's action put Haxtun on the court in a match up with 10th ranked Vail Christian, who had suffered a five set loss to Rye to enter the elimination bracket. Haxtun took that contest in four, 25-22, 25-18, 25-18 and 25-22. That put the Lady Bulldogs into the second round of the right side of the Colorado High School Activity Association's bracket, released last week based on the outcome of regional contests and data from RPI rankings. Haxtun earned a four set win over the next opponent, Hoehne, 25-22, 25-20, 17-25 and 27-17.

In their fifth game on the State Tournament courts, Haxtun was up against the Lady Tigers from Wiggins in Saturday morning action. At that time in the tournament, only six teams remain as the double-elimination bracket begins to send teams home on Friday. Teams playing in Saturday's opening matches are subject to CHSAA tradition of the chicken dance with officials, shaggers and the audience.

Despite their efforts, the Lady Bulldogs fell to their Lower Platte League opponent in three, ending the 2024 season short of a semifinals contest but as a top six State finisher.

"I thought our girls had a great State Tournament! You always want to finish better, but they played their hearts out! This group of girls have so much grit and determination. Seven games in six days was a lot but I felt they persevered through all the tough moments!" said Lady Bulldog Head Coach Don Schelling. "I think the biggest takeaway was that they never gave up! They believed the whole time that, regardless of who they played, they could win. I think the Simla game was a testament of that! They were neck and neck with a team who had only lost one game all season."

Wiggins went on to defeat Simla in four in the semifinals to meet up with Sedgwick County in the Championship match on Saturday night. The Lady Cougars from Sedgwick County earned the four-set win for the 2A State Title, the team's third in four years. On the 1A court, McClave took down Fleming in the final four to advance to the Championship game. They came out on top over Merino, ending the Lady Rams' run for a fifth straight Title.

"We have a brutal schedule and every loss we had this season, except for one, was in the State Tournament. We also beat two State Tournament teams. This team is an amazing group of young ladies and I'm super proud of everything they accomplished. Most importantly though, the thing I'm most proud of, is the way they represent their school and community!" Schelling said.

The 2024 Lady Bulldogs earned an overall 65.5 winning percentage with a final 19-10 record. Haxtun went 5-3 in the 2A/1A combined Lower Platte League, finishing fourth. At home, the Lady Bulldogs went 9-2 and on the road earned a 3-4 record. At neutral sites Haxtun sat 7-4. Throughout the end of August and most of September, the Lady Bulldogs went on a six-game win streak, their longest of the season including wins over Holyoke, Otis, Dayspring Christian Academy, Arickaree, Wichita County and Caliche.

This year's 31-member team will bid farewell to six seniors come spring commencement ceremonies including Jayleigh Bullard, Emily Anderson, Kennidee Koerber, Kelsie Hadeen, Bobbi Starkebaum and Maggie Kilgour.

At the conclusion of the State Tournament, several post-season honors were announced. Starkebaum and Kilgour received All-Conference honors and Kelsie Hadeen and Lilly Lemesany were named All-Conference, Honorable Mention. Starkebaum and Kilgour were selected to play in the Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports All-State games this weekend. Schelling was selected to coach the CCGS All-State games.

"My best memory of the State Tournament was just watching this team bond together underneath the Coliseum and watching them enjoy the moment! My favorite memory of the season is the Regional Tournament Championship, in the fifth set, when we won and qualified for the State Tournament, again," Schelling said, recalling the season. "What is special about this team is how they supported each other and genuinely love one another. We had great senior leaders that will truly be missed!"