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10 Pikes Peak Courier View October 23, 2013
‘Her hits go like 90 mph. She finds the open spots on the court.
She’s always aggressive. Every time she goes up to hit she gives it her all.’ Linnea Sauer
a mighty right arm
Woodland Park senior outside hitter Carli Vahsholtz is among the state leaders in kills this season. She topped the Class 4A Metro League with 177 kills. Photo by Danny Summers
Vahsholtz lowering the hammer on volleyball opponents Woodland Park senior outside hitter’s legacy will not be forgotten By Danny Summers
Dsummers@ourcoloradonews.com Carli Vahsholtz will likely play her final volleyball match in a Woodland Park High School uniform this weekend in the Mitchell Tournament. But her legacy will not soon be forgotten. For three varsity seasons, the Panthers’ outside hitter has hammered opponents, causing many to duck for cover. Her 3.5 kills per set is best in the Class 4A Metro League this season by an almost two-to-one margin over Mesa Ridge’s Kylee Shook. “Carli is an amazing outside hitter,” said Woodland Park senior libero Linnea Sauer. “Her hits go like 90 mph. She finds the open spots on the court. She’s always aggressive. Every time she goes up to hit she gives it her all.” Vahsholtz has 188 kills on the season. To put that in perspective, teammate Maureen Cummings is next with 80, followed by Alexa Garrick’s 77.
The person most responsible for giving Vahsholtz opportunities to shine is Panthers’ senior setter Paloma Juarros. “She’s really consistent,” Juarros said. “She’s always there and she’s real vocal. She’s a leader when we need her to be. “Before every play we’re talking; even if it’s just real quick. If she feels something’s not working she lets me know and we go with it.” Vahsholtz is almost like a folk hero to some of the Woodland Park freshmen players. “She’s like the best outside hitter, ever!” said young setter Lydia Kilpela. “Have you seen her hit? It’s scary. She’s amazing.” Vahsholtz has been playing volleyball most of her life. “When I was in second grade (my family) drove by the park and rec office and there was a huge sign that said ‘register for volleyball,’” said Vahsholtz, who has a 24-inch vertical leap. “I made my mom (Shelley) drive me in there and that’s how it got started.” The 5-foot-8 Vahsholtz is hoping to
play volleyball in college. She has been talking with Division II schools Adams State and Fort Lewis. “Hopefully by the beginning of next year I’ll know something,” said Vahsholtz, who plays club ball for the Monument-based Colorado Classix. “I want to be an elementary school teacher and both of those schools have great teacher education programs.” Vahsholtz’s athleticism probably helps her as a volleyball player. She’s played wing for the school’s basketball team for three seasons. She was also a member of the school’s track and field team as a pole vaulter as a sophomore. But volleyball is her first love. Her skill as an outside hitter involves more than just slamming the ball every time. “You’ll whale on one ball and you’ll tip the next one,” said Vahsholtz, who has a high of 18 kills twice in matches this season. “You want to keep the defense moving so it’s not easy for them to block every ball. “If I tried to kill it every single time they would block me every single time. It’s good to switch it up.” Woodland Park coach Stacy Roshek has seen a steady improvement in
Vahsholtz’s game. “She’s good at placing the ball down the line,” Roshek said. “A lot of teams don’t know how to defend the line. They leave it open. She just gets up and hits it over the block. She hits hard. “She starting to get better at fine tuning her repertoire of shots. Sauer is impressed with Vahsholtz’s ability to get high into the air. “Carli can sometimes jump high enough to get over the blocks,” Sauer said. “It’s like, `Okay, that was crazy. How did you do that?’” As good as Vahsholtz is at her position, she is always looking to improve. That’s why she studies other players, like Lewis-Palmer junior sensation Alexa Smith. “I definitely look up to her, even though she’s a year younger than me,” Vahsholtz said. “After every game we have I look up her stats just to see what she does. How many kills she got in that one game that they played or how many errors she had. “She’s fantastic. She’s just all around a great player.” Vahsholtz is a pretty great player, herself.