GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — You know volleyball season has officially begun when Cherry Creek and Mountain Vista face off against one another.
The Bruins and Golden Eagles have opened their seasons on the same court eight of the past nine years. The only problem for Cherry Creek is that it had been on the losing side of those games annually since 2014.
The 2019 season presented another challenge as both cracked the top 10 in the Class 5A CHSAA preseason rankings.
But this year it was No. 5 Cherry Creek that made a statement with a 3-0 sweep (25-17, 26-24, 25-20) over No. 9 Mountain Vista.
"We were definitely looking forward to it because Mountain Vista is obviously our rival," senior libero Brandi Montoya said. "It's pretty nice to get out of that rut."
The Bruins won the first set handily, but the Golden Eagles clapped back in the second. They forced Cherry Creek to three-straight set points, but the Bruins were able to come back and claim the second for a 2-0 lead at break.
"We had to focus and not lose hope in each other," Montoya said. "We have a hard time getting out of mental ruts, but we did great at moving forward there."
Cherry Creek (1-0) will next play No. 3 Valor Christian at home at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Mountain Vista (0-1) will face No. 7 Grandview at home on Sept. 3.
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