The high school volleyball regular season wound down as the calendar flipped into November, but teams from Glenwood Springs and Coal Ridge high schools are only getting started as they look towards the 2025 CHSAA state playoffs. 

The regular season wrapped up on Saturday afternoon during the two-day Coal Ridge Tournament that brought teams from Glenwood, Rifle, Delta, Battle Mountain, Palisade, Pagosa Springs, and more to the New Castle high school. 

Glenwood took wins in all four of their matchups, beating the Rifle Bears and Palisade Bulldogs on Friday, then taking down the Pagosa Springs Pirates and Coal Ridge Titans on Saturday. The Lady Demons finished the season 20-3 and 12-1 in 4A Western Slope League play. 

The Halloween weekend tournament didn’t count toward league standings, but you wouldn’t have known it from the Demons’ intensity in their opening match against the Bears on Friday morning. Glenwood dominated the Interstate 70 matchup in straight sets, cruising to a 25-5 victory in the opener and winning 2-0 overall.

“It gives me additional confidence in them,” Demons head coach Brittani Chilson said after the first of what would be four wins in two days. “Our girls can get comfortable when they’re doing really well, so it gives me confidence that they’re growing in their mental toughness and their willingness to work hard no matter what’s on the other side of the net.”

The Demons impressive regular season ended with them tied for first in WSL play. The 19-3 No. 8 Battle Mountain Huskies were crowned league champions after edging the Demons 4-2 in sets over the course of two matches throughout the season.

Glenwood senior team captain Gianna Zambrano highlighted how much fun she has had with this team in her final campaign, saying the team has a burning desire to make it back to the state tournament. 

“This season has been so much fun,” Zambrano said. “We’ve been working towards this goal for such a long time. We’re all very passionate and aiming for the same target, which has brought us closer together and we’re having a lot of fun doing it.”

The Demons, ranked No. 12 for most of the season by both CHSAA and MaxPreps, slipped to No. 13 when the state brackets were released. They’ll head to Colorado Springs on Saturday to face the No. 12 Cheyenne Mountain Red-Tailed Hawks and the Elizabeth Cardinals.

Chilson, who has “all the confidence in the world” in her team, explained before brackets were released that even if they didn’t end up hosting the regional round, she wasn’t worried — their close connection would carry them through.

“I’ve seen a lot of growth in them this year, which I didn’t necessarily expect because they’ve been playing together for so long,” Chilson said. “Seeing their love grow for each other has been really exciting.”

The 17-6 Coal Ridge Titans, who went 7-2 in 3A WSL play, finished their two-day home tournament with a 2-2 record after facing tough 4A competition.

They opened with a win over Valley, fell to Battle Mountain, bounced back to beat Delta, and then dropped a tight 2-1 match to Glenwood Springs on Saturday.

After losing three of their first five games, the Titans hit their stride, winning 12 of their next 13 to close out the regular season. Their persistence earned them the No. 15 seed in the 3A state bracket.

Led by senior captain Ava Harlow, Coal Ridge will head to southern Colorado this weekend to face the Centauri Falcons and the Brush Beetdiggers in regional championship play.