When senior outside hitter Madi Crowe had a severe ankle injury midway through the season, Lewis-Palmer’s volleyball team had to make a new game plan. 

The team was coming out of a 4-7 slump and had to step up its game in order to salvage its season, especially without one of its top players in team captain Crowe. The team managed to do just that to have a strong 15-8 regular-season record headed into regionals at home at 9 a.m. Saturday vs. Palmer Ridge. 

After starting 4-7, the Class 4A Rangers are on a 11-1 tear in their last 12 matches, and its losses were all to 5A teams except one. Even more impressive, all the losses were to top-20 teams in the state; Lewis-Palmer is No. 22. 

“The whole team stepped up 100%,” first-year head coach Chrissy Leonhardt said.  “Anytime someone gets injured it’s a huge loss but especially with Madi being a senior and her experience, skill level, and leadership. That was hard but the team stepped up and did a good job at collectively filling her shoes.”

With Leonhardt, a school counselor, at the helm, the team focused more on mental health this season, which has been invaluable to its success as it navigates obstacles like the loss of Crowe or a four-game losing streak early in the season. 

“We’ve been really focusing on the mental part as much as the physical part,” Leonhardt said. “We’ve been really working on our own mental health and just keeping things positive despite those harder losses. These kids are competitive and want to win.” 

After being injured doing extra reps in late September, Crowe is back practicing with hopes of getting court time at regionals and state. This was Crowe’s second injury after a collarbone injury before the season, making the process of getting back to the court mentally challenging.  

While she was injured, Crowe, who is committed to playing at Adams State, attended every practice and game. 

“For me it was frustrating, it’s my senior year and the last thing I wanted to do was get injured,” Crowe said. “I was really looking forward to the season, these girls are amazing. Just working through it mentally was the hardest part. When I got injured again it affected my mental health in a way but the girls are super supportive so I wanted to support them in any way I could.”

One of the players who stepped up was junior Ariana O’Connor, who Leonhardt says has done a phenomenal job in Crowe’s place.

O’Connor said when the team was in a slump, players talked about being tired of losing, and that’s part of what pushed them to win. 

“We knew how good we were and our ability, and when we started to have confidence, we started to pull out those wins,” O’Connor said. “Friendship and chemistry on the court is the biggest strength; we work well together. It was good for us to play 5A schools because it showed our weaknesses and what we need to work on. We turned those weaknesses into strengths.”

Leonhardt sees resiliency as the team’s biggest strength. She sees a team stronger than it was at the start of the season and one that will push to win for each other at regionals this weekend.

“Resiliency is something we are working on and will continue to work on till the end,” Leonhardt said. “They genuinely care about each other and love one another. You see that when they play. The girls are ready. We’ve worked hard all season and are ready to showcase all of our hard work.”