LYONS >> “Unfinished business” was the theme that resonated on the court following Lyons volleyball’s dominant sweep of rival Estes Park on Tuesday night. A desire to right the wrongs of the past.

With the Bobcats looking on, the Lions moved to 15-2 on the season, enjoying strong performances that rendered 25-7, 25-12 and 25-14 scores. Save for a bit of excitement through the first half of the third set, the Bobcats never stood a chance.

Last year’s snub in the Class 2A regionals pushed to the forefront of the Lions’ minds through it all, as they close in on a top-three ranking in the classification and an almost-guaranteed hosting responsibility for the first leg of this year’s postseason.

Leading up to Tuesday, sophomore Michaela Coleman served as their beating heart, pumping out 146 kills, 42 aces and 35 blocks. Senior libero Sienna Reed, however, flexed the most muscle against the Bobcats with elite defense.

“We felt like we had something that was unfinished, and that we kind of didn’t play to our full potential at regionals (last fall). We really felt like we needed to bring it and really make up for what we did last season,” Coleman said. “We really focused on teamwork … because we felt like our skills individually were OK, but we needed to make sure that we were together as a team and that we were able to face challenges and overcome those things together.”

It certainly hasn’t hurt matters that the Lions returned most of the same team and added a stellar setter/right side hitter with freshman Carmen Dumbauld. Marcus Richardson served as an assistant in 2023 but took over the head coaching responsibilities when the new hire stepped down.

He’s enjoyed witnessing their growth on the court and revels in the possibilities as the regular season draws to a close.

“One of the pleasures of having so much experience is that we can focus on the little things,” Richardson said. “We don’t have huge problems. We’ve been able to dial in with things like coverage and defense and placing the ball and working on the level-one serves, really just to get them to the next level.”

The Lions will begin to wrap up their scheduled matches at Belleview Christian on Thursday, followed by Union Colony Prep and SkyView Academy, before ending with a weekend tournament. From there, it’s just a matter of who will join their regional during the second weekend of November.

“I’d say we’re pretty confident,” Coleman said. “The seven of us that are on varsity are really connected, and with our seniors that are leaving this year, we really want to cherish this season and we really want to make it last. This is going to be the last time playing with them.”