After battling for wins throughout the fall sports season, the Summit High School girls volleyball team wrapped up its regular-season schedule by hosting Eagle Valley High School on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

With it being the team’s final match of the year, the night doubled as a celebration for Summit’s six seniors.

Coming off a 3-0 loss to the Eagle Valley Devils on Sept. 23, the Tigers took the court eager to close out the season on a high note against their 4A Western Slope opponent.

Summit was the first one to put points on the board, blocking an Eagle Valley volley attempt to put the team up by a point. Soon after the huge block, two Summit seniors expanded upon the team’s lead. Ari Sanchez-Ramirez sent a fiery serve over the net for an ace before Zoie Davis-Teets capitalized on a spike. 

Eagle Valley tried to find a way to slow down Summit early on in the first set, but could only score a point of two before relinquishing the serve. Junior Kyla Salthouse came up big for the Tigers near the midpoint of the first set, sending balls over the net and out of reach of the Devils.

Eagle Valley gradually warmed into the match, going on a lengthy run and tying the game at 12-12. 

The Tigers were quick to respond to the onslaught of points from the Devils. Not wanting to let the set get out of hand, Summit banded together to score on serves, blocks and powerful volleys over the net.

Summit successfully squashed Eagle Valley’s comeback attempt, claiming the first frame with a 25-22 victory. Senior Saige Heflin specifically had the finishing blow, rocketing a spike over the net. 

With the senior-night crowd injecting energy into the team, Summit continued to roll with momentum in the second frame. Heflin was the premier force for the team on the court, finding ways to spike the ball and scoring off several blocks.

Following a five-point run, Eagle Valley was able to stop Summit and put points of its own on the scoreboard. The Devils soon tied the game at 6-6, allowing the team to recenter and focus on tying the match.

Although the team tested Summit, Eagle Valley never sported more than a three-point advantage at any time. With the set still well within reach, Summit dug deep for blocks and returns.

Summit enjoyed a multi-point advantage for several minutes before Eagle Valley found a way back into the set. Down 20-18 late in the set, Summit refused to back down, rallying to tie things up at 20 apiece.

The two teams exchanged points back and forth until junior Riley Weatherred won the set for Eagle Valley, 25-23. 

The win in the second frame seemed to be the lift Eagle Valley was looking for. After looking dominant in the first set, Summit trailed for the majority of the third frame. Summit was able to climb out to a 11-10 lead near the middle of the set, but the team could not increase its margin. 

Instead, Weatherred combined for several points, giving way to a rollicking run for the Devils. Summit did its best to win the third set, but could not overcome the firepower from Eagle Valley. Eagle Valley took a 2-1 lead with a 25-21 win.

Needing to win the fourth set to keep the match alive, Summit quickly scored points to begin the new frame. Coming off the bench, freshman Jade Close got the team going with a timely spike. The play fired up the squad, allowing Summit to continue to score points.

Summit’s lead lasted several minutes, but was eventually erased by Eagle Valley. Displaying the team’s ability to score as an entire team, Eagle Valley secured a 11-point, 19-8 lead late in the fourth set. On the verge of a league win, Weatherred and senior Cadence Aguilar successfully put Summit away for good. 

Eagle Valley won the fourth set 25-8 to win the match 3-1. 

“It is super nice to play with each other, especially since we have been playing with each other since middle school or even earlier than that for some of us, ” Johnson said. “It is super nice to be connected in that way one last time — see each other play and be able to cheer with each other.”

“It is a surreal moment,” Sanchez-Ramirez said. “It feels super bittersweet knowing that this is our last time playing together, but it also makes me grateful for the memories that we made throughout all these years. 

Each year, 36 4A teams are named to a 12 region volleyball tournament. The champions from each region then advance to the state championship tourney. Summit is not expected to make postseason play this fall. 

The last time the Summit volleyball team made the regional tournament was during the fall 2023 season. Summit garnered four more wins than last fall, going 8-15 overall and 3-9 in league play. The Tigers will graduate six players from this year’s varsity roster including Davis-Teets, Heflin, Sanchez-Ramirez, Lizzie Johnson, Annie Stephens and Polly Gledhill.