Sports
Pueblo South co-op boys volleyball wins first regional title
This story has been edited to correct the spelling of Landen Cordova. The Pueblo South Colts co-op boys volleyball team has for the first time ever advanced to the state tournament as regional winners. The Colts took on Gateway and DSST on Saturday at home after earning the chance to host regionals with a regular […]
This story has been edited to correct the spelling of Landen Cordova.
The Pueblo South Colts co-op boys volleyball team has for the first time ever advanced to the state tournament as regional winners.
The Colts took on Gateway and DSST on Saturday at home after earning the chance to host regionals with a regular season record of 18-5.
The Colts took care of both teams with 3-0 victories.
“It’s a little bit of relief,” coach Ramon Arriaga said after the Colts won their first regional tournament.
“We are just blessed and grateful for this opportunity. These guys have worked hard since the beginning of the year, playing club, open gyms, lifting weights, and they deserve this,” Arriaga said. “They’ve played so well. I’m so proud of these guys. No one’s worked harder than these guys, and we showed it today by representing Pueblo, our town. I couldn’t be more proud and more thankful.”
The key to the victories on Saturday was the emergence of one player — Landen Cordova.
Cordova had never played competitive volleyball until this year, and his growth and development all season long were on display in the regionals.
“You get someone like Landen, he’s a once-in-a-lifetime player, in my opinion,” Arriaga said. “You got someone like Landen who can learn from our seniors, and that’s how he learned how to play the game of volleyball. He’s the most coachable kid, most likable kid, hardest working kid, the first one in the gym, and the last one out of the gym. You get those attributes with the senior leadership that we have, they make him better, and players like our seniors, and Landen make me a way better coach than I am.”
With the regional behind them, the team now focuses on the true test, the state tournament.
“We’re going to celebrate this,” Arriaga said. “We’re going to preserve this is a big historic moment for Pueblo. But our next goal is to go 1-0, on Thursday that’s the first thing we have to do, is get ready to go on Thursday. It’s anyone’s game from here on out. We’re excited to be in the dance, and we’re going to go represent Pueblo very well.”
The state volleyball tournament begins Thursday through Saturday, May 8-10 at Fountain-Fort Carson High School in Fountain.