Castle View boys volleyball captain Austin Keathley knows the Sabercats are a different team than the one that was playing earlier this month.
The Sabercats dropped three consecutive matches in early April and saw their season record dip to 5-4.
However, Castle View has now won six straight matches to improve to 14-6 for the season after winning the Kings of the Castle tournament on April 19, hosted by Douglas County High School.
Castle View defeated Niwot 2-0 in the first-place match with scores of 25-23 and 25-23.
“I’m happy with what I saw out there,” said Keathley, Castle View’s junior captain. “I’m happy everyone just played their game. Everything was on the line for us. This was way different than earlier. “We went on a three-game losing streak, and after that we just said, ‘That’s enough.’ Ever since then, we’ve been better. We started swinging to have fun and that’s what changed us. It’s definitely a mental thing. If you’re not having fun, you don’t play well.”
Castle View, ranked No. 11 in the MaxPreps boys volleyball poll, has improved to 14-6 and downed Gateway, Thomas Jefferson and Class 4A power D’Evelyn to reach the finals of the 16-team tournament.
“The whole team came together and played really well,” said Castle View Coach Chad Spears, who is in his first year. “It was kind of everybody. It was a team effort. Everyone played their part, and we have a lot of really good players and everyone showed up.
“This tournament will really set us up for the postseason,” he continued. “The postseason is only a few weeks away and it was good to have this competition and get our people to come together as a team.”
Keatley was the one Castle View player to notice with spikes and blocks. No individual statistics were available for the teams involved.
“He’s our captain,” said Spears. “The whole team rallies around him. He’s a leader on the court, and the team looks towards him.”
Follow the Sabercats at MaxPreps.com.