DENVER – The Classical Academy players and coaches didn’t display an iota of frustration Friday after their first loss to a 3A team this season.

The Titans, after their 3-1 third round loss (25-16, 25-18, 24-26, 25-18) to No. 3 Eaton, smiled and waved to their fan section, gathered their belongings and bore smiles as they exited the court at Denver Coliseum.

TCA will play at 8 a.m. Saturday in the elimination bracket’s third round against No. 8 Sterling. But Layne Witmer expects to see The Classical Academy fans at 6 p.m., the time of championship match.

“None of the stats, wins or losses, really matter until the end,” the Titans’ coach said. “And by that, I mean the end of (Saturday).”

Don’t misconstrue Witmer’s response for arrogance, that’s confidence. That aura of assurance has allowed the No. 7-seeded Titans to amass a 25-3 record, a 15-match win streak and, prior to the loss to the Reds, dropped just four sets to 3A teams in eight matches.

TCA’s match with Eaton (23-4) served as a lesson The Classical Academy hopes will catapult the Titans to Saturday’s title game.

“Any opportunity we have to compete with great teams in our state we’re happy to take it,” Witmer said. “We’re happy to grow from it and improve. We just do our, ‘next ball, next game’ mentality and we’re still in it and we’ll come out fighting.”

Avery Jaeger, the Titans’ assist leader, didn’t call the loss a moral victory, but the senior located the silver lining in their first defeat since Oct. 4.

Jaeger highlighted areas she could hone for the final day – ways to involve middle hitters to open up blockers and pin hitters, block touches and “scrappy defense.” The senior setter also noted a rally the Titans had in the final set and the crucial role that served.

The Titans trailed the Reds 19-12 in the fourth set and Eaton’s fans drowned out TCA’s crowd noise. But the Titans rallied and closed the lead to 19-17 before the Reds called a timeout to re-ignite their supporters. Though the Titans eventually lost the set, Jaeger called the effort “important.”  

“It’s good to know we can hang with some of the best teams in the state and it’s that close of a match,” Jaeger said. “It was good to know that we’re not going to give up and keep fighting no matter the score. We have to fight and we want to keep playing more.”

Ashlyn Delaney, the state’s No. 2 in hitting percentage, earned two kills during that rally and said the defeat “didn’t feel like a loss.” Of course, the junior outside hitter is cognizant of the Titans’ situation, but Delaney said the TCA remains focused on its goal.

“Now that we’re in a win-or-go-home situation, it gives us the urge to push harder,” Delaney said. “When we get in the game, we figure out quickly what we need to do. Whether that’s getting block touches, using everything we can in the moment or figuring out what we need to do no matter how many sets the match goes.”

Witmer realizes the Titans’ bravado is great but won’t win matches. So, what’s required for the Titans to advance to their first-ever state title game? “Winning,” Witmer said through a smile. “Every time we have an opportunity to show up on the court, no matter if it’s the first set of the first game or the title game. We’re going to put our best foot forward and all the work we’ve put in, we want to peak at this moment. Even with the loss, we have the endurance and mental capacity and energy to do it.”