Setter Chloe Elarton’s cotton candy-soft passes earned her a volleyball scholarship to Georgia. Outside hitter Kenzy McGatlin’s thunderous spikes and stonewall blocks have her heading to LSU to play beach volleyball.
Valor Christian’s dynamic senior duo has played for national squads and traveling club teams and starred in prestigious tournaments. They are headed for the big time. But nothing jazzes them up quite like the CHSAA state volleyball tournament at the staid Denver Coliseum.
“This is so special because we are together all of the time,” Elarton said Saturday as the Eagles beat Legend 25-23, 25-17, 25-20 to sweep the Class 5A state title game and capture their third straight crown.
“We have these incredible bonds,” Elarton continued. “And this is where it all comes together for us. That’s why it means so much.”
Added McGatlin: “In beach volleyball, there are only two people. But this, this is my family. There is a different vibe here; you have each other to pick you up when it’s hard. That’s why it’s so amazing to win a third title with this family.”
Valor was unstoppable, beating Pine Creek (25-16, 32-30, 16-25, 25-19) in the 5A semifinals and finishing the season with a 28-1 record. The Eagles beat the Titans twice during the regular season, winning six of seven sets.
“You know, I think beating a good team like (Legend) three times in the same season might be harder than the three-peat,” said teary-eyed Valor coach Jayne McHugh.
Mighty Valor entered the finals having lost just once in its last 86 matches, falling to Fossil Ridge in October. But the Eagles didn’t get a chance to avenge that loss in Saturday’s championship game because Legend beat Fossil Ridge in four sets (20-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-23) in Saturday’s other 5A semifinals to earn a spot in the title match.
“I think the thing that made this team unique was our defense,” McHugh said. “That really came together for us.”
Though Legend (22-8) saw its season end in a straight-set loss, senior middle blocker Brenna Coffman, who earned a scholarship to Portland State, gushed about the atmosphere at the Coliseum where five matches are played at the same time and fans scream like banshees.
“It’s pretty incredible,” Coffman said. “It gets you pumped up for sure.”
Legend coach Madisen Busler understands that club teams like Colorado Juniors Volleyball Club or Front Range Volleyball Club hone skills and put the best players on a path toward college. But she also knows why the high school girls, win or lose, leave the court with tears in their eyes.
“High school volleyball is more about the passion,” Busler said. “Winning here at the state tournament isn’t necessarily going to get any of the girls a scholarship, but it’s special. And it’s a chance to prove to everybody that you are the best in the state. It always stays with you.”
Busler knows all about that.
Valor Christian High School’s Kenzey McGatlin (3) hugs Bergen Waitman (1) after winning the class 5A state volleyball game against Legend High School at the Denver Coliseum, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024 in Denver. (Rebecca Slezak/Special to The Denver Post)
“(Getting to) the finals is very emotional for me because I won a state championship here 10 years ago when I played for Grandview,” said Busler, who went on to play college volleyball for the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Although Valor entered Saturday night’s championship as the heavy favorite, Legend junior outside hitter Reese Betschart went into the game believing the Titans could pull off the upset.
“We are just going to have to put our egos aside and play as a team,” she said. “It’s really about mental toughness because we have the talent. It will be about poise. We’ve worked on our composure a lot this year.”
In the end, Valor was just too talented and too good.
And in Elarton, the daughter of former big-league pitcher and former Rockie Scott Elarton, the Eagles have one of the most poised and seasoned players in the state.
“I think she’s the best setter in the Western United States,” McHugh said.
As a sophomore, Elarton was the MaxPreps Colorado High School Volleyball Player of the Year and was named to the MaxPreps Underclass All-America Team following the Eagles’ state championship. As a junior in 2023, she guided the Eagles to another state title and was a MaxPreps Junior All-American.
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She’s played six seasons with Colorado Juniors (club team) and also won a United States Girls Junior National Championship.
“She’s amazing,” McGatlin said. “She can make any pass and she puts it where you want it every time. If she gets her hands on the ball it seems like it always comes out in the perfect spot.”
It certainly did Saturday night.
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