Karlik leads Rampart over No. 1 Smoky Hill

by Chaz Hudd
Special to The Denver Post

LITTLETON - The final contest at the Arapahoe Volleyball 2002 Warrior Invitational may not have been officially dubbed the championship match Saturday, but somebody apparently forgot to tell Rampart and Smoky Hill. The Rams won the latest bout in the state's best volleyball rivalry, 26-24, 23-25 and 18-16.

The squads have split early-season matchups, and expect to meet again for much higher stakes.

"This feels just awesome," said Rampart senior and tournament MVP Kristen Karlik. "Smoky Hill is a great team, and it's always a lot of fun to play them. It's good, tough competition, and we hope to see them again. I feel like our whole team is MVP, because you don't beat a team like that without contributions from everyone."

Smoky Hill came into the match ranked No. 1 in Class 5A in The Denver Post/9News poll, with a win last week over No. 2 Rampart. In the rematch Saturday, three-point leads were rare.

In the deciding third game, Smoky Hill's first lead was 15-14. The Buffs twice served for the match, but Rampart scored three consecutive points. Outside hitter Brittany Ray ended the match with a kill into the corner.

"That was a really great match, especially after both teams had played four times already," Rampart coach Rick Kamm said. "The familiarity between the teams brings a whole different aura to the match. It's like playing your brother or sister, and you'll do whatever it takes to beat them. I expect great players like Kristen to play great in these type of matches, and we got terrific play from defensive specialists Andrea Murphy and Breanna Van Der Most."

Class 3A top-ranked Eaton showed it can play with Colorado's best at any level. The Reds took a game from Smoky Hill, and gave Rampart all it could handle. Eaton won matches against 5A opponents Grandview, Arapahoe and Littleton, defeating each in two games.

"The girls were just great," Eaton coach Brent McNair said. "I could not have asked for better performances against Rampart and Smoky. The girls play with extra energy against the top teams. Erin Smith did an awesome job at setter, and Terin Ledall is clearly an all-state player at middle blocker. This type of competition is excellent preparation for what we will face in the Patriot League."

Karlik, Ledall, Smoky Hill's Simona Speed, Faith Christian's Cristen Wall, Arapahoe's Megan Kazakoff, Grandview's Elise Voyvodic and Littleton's Erin Calligan made the all-tournament team.