CHIEFTAIN PHOTO
Pueblo West High School's Jenica Shippy blocks a spike during a district tournament in 2005. She leads the Cyclones into the Class 4A state volleyball tournament this weekend at the Denver Coliseum.


DENVER - With each passing week, the Pueblo West High School girls volleyball team accomplishes a new goal.
First, the Cyclones won the South-Central League. Next, they won their district tournament. Then last Saturday, they placed second at a regional tournament at Battle Mountain High School and punched their ticket to state.
"It feels really good to make it back to state," said veteran Pueblo West coach Casey King, whose team is 25-1. "We played in a very tough regional tournament and the girls worked hard and got the job done."
This is the third time in school history that West has qualified for state. The Cyclones also played at the Class 4A eight-team tourney in 2001 and 2002. Those two years West didn't make it out of pool play. That is the next new goal King's troops are trying to accomplish.
"We want to make it out of pool play," King said. "That's not going to be easy, but we're ready for the challenge." More on the story >>



STATE VOLLEYBALL
Forty teams in five classifications are set to battle in the Colorado state high school volleyball tournament this weekend at the Coliseum in Denver:
- Play: Pool play begins in all classes at 8 a.m. Friday and concludes at 7 p.m. Saturday with the championship matches in all classes.
- Southern Colorado teams: Pueblo West (Class 4A), Hoehne, Swink (Class 2A), Kit Carson, McClave (Class 1A).
- Directions: Take Interstate 25 north to exit 214A. Get on I-70 east and get off at exit 275 Brighton Boulevard. The Coliseum is on the right.
- Ticket prices: General admission (adult-all day pass) $10; senior citizens (age 60) $7; Children (under 12) $7; students $6; Parking at the Coliseum $8.