Class 5A

Boulder Panthers

Coach: Jessica Ashton

Last year’s result: Finished 9-14 and fifth in the Northern 1 League.

Testing 1-2-3: The Panthers are excited about freshman Gustavo Batlle, who has 11 kills and 14 digs through seven sets this season. Batlle is listed as a club player for Juggernaut Volleyball based out of Wheat Ridge.

The tea: The Panthers will have a new look in their second season as a program, with the graduation of BoCoPreps.com player of the year Corran Hanzlik-Green and their top four kills leaders. Under first-year coach Ashton, senior OH Silas Meek and junior S Jake Wu take over as captains. Meek leads the team with 17 kills through two matches. Wu has four aces.

Centaurus Warriors

Coach: Lester Thorne

Last year’s result: Finished 4-19 and eighth in the Northern 1 League.

Testing 1-2-3: OH Eric Beuke is a next-level player who can man just about any position on the court, his coach said. He may be best at the net, though, where the 6-foot-5 senior can show off his big-time hitting power. In a 3-0 win over Greeley Central in the team’s opening match of the season Tuesday, he had 15 kills.

The tea: Centaurus has a new coach in Thorne, who inherits a talented cast of players including Beuke, junior Elliot Maxwell and sophomore outside hitters Mishael Rodriguez-Colin and Colton Peller. The Warriors won their first three matches of the season in straight sets. Their nine set wins over the first week of the spring season is already half of the number they had altogether in 2024, when they won 18 sets and lost 52.

Legacy Lightning

Coach: Jorge Urbina

Last year’s result: The Adams 12 District team was based out of Thornton High School last year. It finished 22-4 and reached the 5A quarterfinals.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior Rafael Urbina is one of the best volleyball players in the country. He’s committed to men’s volleyball powerhouse UCLA, which has won 21 Division-I national championships. Last year, he was the starting setter for Team USA’s under-19 squad at the North America, Central America and Caribbean Continental Championship. At NORCECA, the U19 Americans won gold and he was voted as the tournament’s top setter.

The tea: Urbina was at NORCECA last year, which was at the same time as the 5A postseason. If not, he would have been the biggest star in the state playoffs. With him leading the way, the Lightning, who have won their first seven matches this season, are hoping to get back to the postseason and make another run at a state title. They’ll have help from another senior standout in L Elisha Thao, who is committed to play at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.

Niwot Cougars

Coach: John Miller

Last year’s result: Finished 20-5 and third in the Northern 1 League.

Testing 1-2-3: The Cougars’ starting libero is Charlie Kirtland, who was named the Longmont Times-Call player of the year for boys tennis in 2023. In volleyball last spring, he directed a lot for the Cougars, leading the team in both digs (209) and receptions (397).

The tea: In their third season as a program, the Cougars are hoping to build off their 20-win 2024, which landed their third-year coach Northern League coach of the year honors. In 2025, they’re led by returning 5A honorable mentions in juniors Kirtland and OPP Diego Kheng. They also have a 6-foot-4 front row player in Ethan Husk and a talented junior setter in Cameron Churchich.