Battle Mountain girls volleyball team ends season with 23-3 record
The Huskies lost both their first-round and elimination round games at the 4A state tournament last weekend
Rex Keep/Courtesy photo
After a sterling regular season, Battle Mountain’s 2024 volleyball campaign came to a close at the 4A state tournament last weekend in Denver. The Huskies 鈥� who walked into Denver Coliseum as the No. 4 seed, boasting a 23-1 mark 鈥� lost to No. 12 Mead 25-19, 25-20, 25-20 in the first round and then fell to No. 11 Palmer Ridge 25-18, 26-24, 25-16 in the elimination bracket on day 2. No. 1 Thompson Valley swept No. 8 Lutheran to capture the state title.
“In retrospect, having the opportunity to play on the state floor at the Coliseum and聽knowing you are amongst an elite group of teams to have earned that right feels great,” head coach Scott Graves stated in an email after the tournament. “From a coach’s perspective, you’ll always wonder how you could have changed the outcome by changing something along the way.聽 Bottom line: I’m proud of this team!聽Proud of what they accomplished and proud of the tough journey they endured and years of training to get them there.”
The Huskies won the first 20 games of the season before falling to Palisade in a best-of-three tournament match on Nov. 2. Throughout the win streak, they developed a reputation for clutch composure and dramatic five-set victories 鈥斅爀specially against key Western Slope rivals. Two days after defeating Glenwood Springs 3-2 on Oct. 1, the Huskies rallied for a reverse sweep against Eagle Valley, taking the last set 19-17. After winning the region tournament on Nov. 12, Battle Mountain’s veterans looked back on the single blemish as a necessary wake up call.
“Honestly I think we needed that,” Tyler Heimerl said after the 3-1 win over Standley Lake, which clinched the team’s first state berth in 10 years. “We needed to see top-level teams. Going into regionals, nothing was promised.”
“That showed us that we can’t just be given something,” added Gracie Halminksi, who was selected to play in the all-state game this Sunday.
Support Local Journalism
While Graves saw his team exhibit some nerves in the first state match, he said in general, they handled the environment and experience well.
“While we didn’t win, we put up a good fight in both matches but just couldn’t seem to get firing on all cylinders at once,” he added. The Huskies led 24-23 in the second set against Palmer Ridge 鈥� the defending state champions 鈥斅燽ut couldn’t close the deal.
“I think we win that set, we win the match in four,” Graves continued. “Though we lost in three sets, it still felt good hanging with the former state champions.”
The Huskies graduate five seniors from the roster in Heimerl, Halminski, Kylah Romer, Izzy Zastrow and Presley Walters. Graves, who has known most of them for many years, said they brought a “mix of talent and leadership” to the program.
“It has been a pleasure to work with them and watch their skills grow,” he added. “I have no doubt that all five of them will go on to do great things.”
Battle Mountain also brings back a talented core with significant varsity experience. Libero Evie Steinberg and outside hitter Lela Goehring are just sophomores and setter Keena Shikverg and all-around playmaker Cynthia Orona are juniors.
“I’m very excited about the future of the Battle Mountain volleyball program,” Graves said. “There is a bunch of talent throughout the levels. The younger athletes got to see what hard work and determination can mean and that is always a good lesson for the next group coming in. The future is bright.”
