4 Eagle Valley volleyball players earn Western Slope all-league honors
The Devils finished second in the Western Slope with an 8-4 league mark
Ryan Sederquist/Vail Daily
The Eagle Valley girls volleyball team had four players named to the Western Slope all-league team for the 2024 season. Aspen Misch and Taylor Hooper earned first-team recognition, and Zakia Shreeve and Riley Weatherred received honorable mentions. Misch was also invited to play in the Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports All-State game on Nov. 24.
The Devils placed second in the league with an 8-4 record, finishing behind only Battle Mountain (12-0) in the Western Slope standings. They were ousted in the regional tournament on Nov. 11 after falling to Palmer Ridge 3-1 and Green Mountain 3-0. The Huskies later faced Palmer Ridge in the state tournament, but were swept by the defending state champions.
“We challenged ourselves to be our best at regionals and I believe we did that,” head coach Mike Garvey stated. “We came out ready to play and stole the first set 25-14. “We competed all night, but just were not the better team.”
Coming off an undefeated league record in 2022 and a 2023 season that saw a senior-heavy squad take the Devils to their first state tournament since 2016, Garvey said before this year began that his current team would need to believe in themselves and embrace the opportunities at hand. In addition to the competitiveness displayed at regionals, the coach said he witnessed growth throughout the season.
“We learned many things,” he stated. “The team always responded well when we made mistakes and had to go to the next level in both practice and matches.”
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Misch had the most blocks on the team (66) and finished tops in hitting percentage (0.264). Hooper — who also was an all-league honorable mention athlete as a sophomore in 2022 — was second in kills (151). Shreeve led the team in kills (163) and aces (61) while Weatherred was tops in assists (289) and second in digs (184) and aces (37).
The Devils graduate seven seniors — including all of the above mentioned players except Weatherred, who will be a junior next year — but Garvey is optimistically looking ahead to next fall.
“We return four players and our rising senior class is a positive and energetic group,” he said.
