LAFAYETTE >> Peak to Peak volleyball had never so much as hosted a regional tournament, forget a bid to the state tournament. That all changed on Saturday on the Pumas’ home court.

After dispatching No. 28 Aspen in four sets (25-19, 23-25, 25-11, 25-16) earlier in the morning, the Pumas needed to just get past No. 16 Cedaredge at their Class 3A Region 9 competition. Senior libero Lhadze Olsen, while keeping her focus on making it out alive, let her stomach do the talking in the third set.

Just before, the Bruins had tied things at one set apiece. When she stepped up to serve, she ensured they wouldn’t win another.

“My teammate said that she would buy me Crumbl if I got to 15 points, but also, I just knew after that second-set loss that I had to pull it back for the team,” Olsen said. “As the libero and as our team captain, I know I anchor this team, and I know I’m a consistent, energetic presence. I knew that to get us where we needed to go, I had to get those points in. It was a lot of, mentally just thinking about what spot I wanted to serve, taking that deep breath after my routine and just nailing it.”

The nine points that she helped put up from behind the line didn’t earn her the butter cake cookie she wanted, but it helped catalyze the Pumas to a 3-1 victory (25-13, 21-25, 25-11, 25-21) and a trip to the Denver Coliseum for next week’s 3A state tournament.

The achievement had been a long time coming, but head coach Katherine Wagenschutz knew these ladies had all of the right stuff as soon as the fall began. They’ll be entering the final leg of the postseason with a 20-5 record.

“We knew going into this season that we had a really special group of girls and high achievers, and a really committed team,” Wagenschutz said. “They put in the hard work, they made the sacrifices when they needed to and put themselves into the best spot possible to win.”

The Pumas combined the leadership of seven strong seniors with the talent of freshman newcomers Clara Wright and Tessa Hirt. They put that exquisite mix on full display with 21 kills from senior Alexandra Eschmeyer, 18 kills from Wright, and five aces from Olsen.

The Pumas operated like a well-oiled machine in the first set, every cog functioning to perfection, on their way to claiming early victory with a 25-13 score. The Bruins seemed to have no answer for Wright’s theatrics at the net, but they figured out the right equation out of the gate during the second.

“Even though I’m not a senior, I need to be a leader through my play and through my actions,” Wright said. “I knew that I also wanted to be positive with everyone and keep everyone uplifted and happy. We have a great team bond.”

Cedaredge took the early lead and — thanks to a string of improbable, tough recoveries on wild balls — disassembled the Pumas’ defense. Just when the Bruins appeared to have the win in the bag, leading by as much as 22-16 late, the Pumas tapped into the grit that has come to define much of their season. Peak to Peak pulled within three points, 23-20, before surrendering the second frame by a 25-21 margin.

That lapse didn’t last long at all.

Thanks to the exceptional serving of Olsen, the Pumas jumped out to an early 13-2 lead in the third set, stealing all of the momentum that had favored the Bruins just before. They reclaimed the lead with a 25-11 campaign, setting themselves up for one last battle.

The Pumas went up quickly in the fourth set but couldn’t quite shake the Bruins despite leading the entire time. After a considerable back and forth, Peak to Peak secured their ticket to state with a 25-21 victory. Now, they’ll just have to wait a few days to see where they fall for the state tournament.

Elsewhere:

4A Region 12

The No. 13 seed Mead Mavericks entered one of the most favorable regionals in 4A and showed just why, with a 2-0 victory and a trip to the Coliseum just around the corner. After blasting No. 25 Wellington in straight sets (26-24, 25-13, 25-12), they went to war with the tournament’s host, No. 12 Roosevelt. Mead killed the Roughriders’ dreams when it pulled out a five-set thriller, coming all the way from behind (19-25, 10-25, 25-10, 25-16, 15-7).

5A Region 11

The No. 14 seed Broomfield Eagles jetted out to a strong start against No. 26 Westminster, winning in three sets while allowing the Wolves to score just 17, 18 and 18 points. They faced much more pressure from their host, No. 11 Cherokee Trail, who ended their run in four sets (22-25, 25-19, 25-19, 25-23). The Eagles ended the season with a 20-5 record.

3A Region 1

As the final seed to qualify for the 3A portion of the postseason, the No. 36 Jefferson Academy Jaguars faced a nearly impossible task — trying to take down the best team in the classification. No. 1 Eaton lived up to the hype, winning with a straight sweep (25-15, 25-10, 25-11) in the opening match of the regional. The Jaguars came out swinging during their second match but not before No. 24 Salida pummeled them with a 25-9 first set. Jefferson Academy won the next three sets by scores of 25-18, 25-22 and 25-20, but it wasn’t enough to keep them dancing. The Jaguars ended their run with a 10-15 record.

5A Region 12

The No. 13 seed Erie Tigers entered No. 12 Loveland’s regional with a good shot at moving on but suffered two defeats to both No. 25 Grandview (25-23, 25-13, 29-27) and Loveland (25-21, 23-25, 26-24, 25-23). They ended their season with a 19-6 record.

Still to play

The 5A Region 10 tournament at Pueblo West, featuring No. 15 Niwot and No. 27 Legacy, has been moved to Sunday, along with No. 34 Longmont’s competition at 4A No. 3 Palisade. No. 25 Prospect Ridge will grace the 3A Region 12 tournament at Strasburg on Monday. In 2A, Lyons played late into Saturday and results were not avaialble at press time.