Upon walking into Village High School, there's a table on the left decorated with memorabilia from the Mountaineers' historic night at Denver Coliseum on Nov. 16.
White poster board with signatures from the five Mountaineers seniors, a golden 3A state girls volleyball plaque and, of course, their golden trophy from the five-set victory in the season finale against Platte Valley.
For Erika Sayer, the 3A-1A Girls' Volleyball Peak Performer of the Year, it's the perfect display.
"You want to win state every year, that's always the ultimate goal," Sayer said. "Winning it your senior year on a team where you represent that school. It was just poetic. The way we won, it was relief, it was fun. It was indescribable."
Sayer stamped her final chapter with her first state title in Village's first year as a program. In her lone season with Village's volleyball team, the Mountaineer senior led the team in total blocks, serving aces, kills and hitting percentage. Sayer's .499 hitting percentage was third in Colorado.
The Stanford signee helped lead the Mountaineers to a 26-3 record. Village dropped just 14 sets all season and last lost to a Colorado team Aug. 30 when 5A Cherry Creek beat them 2-0.
Village's loss to the Bruins put the Mountaineers at 2-2 for the season. They then finished 24-1.
Players understood the end goal and Shannon Baker, Village volleyball coach, said Sayer thrived at ensuring her teammates remained laser focused.
"Erika and I have had a lot of talks about leadership and her role on this team and I think she really embraced those things," Baker said. "She helped pull us through some of those times where you can have some of those lulls in the season. She took the team under her wing and got us refocused when we needed to get refocused."
Such as regionals, when another Mountaineers star, Lillian Edwards, sprained her left ankle.
Or, after Village defeated No. 2 Platte Valley in straight sets in the third round, but found themselves in a 2-0 hole in the championship match.
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"When Lillian went down at regionals, Erika stepped up and played her best volleyball," Baker said. "At state, she knew she had to be at her peak. ... She took on the role of calm leader and she tried to get things done and took over the matches."
Lindsay Keller, Village principal, assisted with the genesis of the Mountaineers' athletics program and said she wasn't shocked by the team's result.
Years ago, when the current group of seniors "stormed their office" demanding a team, Keller realized they had something special. Watching the Mountaineers on the volleyball court this season reminded Keller of "the good ol' days."
"You'd put on your jersey and have fun and I saw the spirit of that in this team," Keller said. "They played with joy and even my husband would come to games and be like, 'They are having so much fun.' This is rooted in joy. That's been the headline. I'm glad they were successful and I knew they'd be successful."
In the 3A title game and rematch with Platte Valley, the No. 3-seeded Mountaineers trailed by two sets, a deficit Village hadn't faced all season.
But Sayer, who previously played at Discovery Canyon and Lewis-Palmer, had an 8-3 record all-time in five-set matches and had not dropped a winner-take-all set since 2022.
Sayer showed Platte Valley why that was the case. Sayer finished the contest with 21 kills, which tied a career high, as the Mountaineers won three consecutive sets, including 17-15 in the fifth to earn their first title.
"We prepared the whole season for a really tough game at the end," Sayer said. "Going into that game, we knew it'd be tough and knew that could be an outcome. We trusted our training and trusted our teammates and didn't let the anxiety and pressure of the moment control us. We talk a lot about staying on the court and not letting any other factors influence us. That helped us stay cool in those moments."
After Village's historic victory, a gaggle of children approached Sayer with volleyballs asking for her autograph. With each stroke of her black Sharpie, the smile never left Sayer's face.
The kids literally looked up to the 6-foot-2 Sayer as she signed their memorabilia. It's Sayer's wish that her game on the court and gratitude outside the lines will continue to encourage future players.
"I hope I've inspired kids to find as much joy in the sport as I find for myself," Sayer said. "(Volleyball) has given me so many opportunities and has taught me so many life lessons. It's taught me leadership, cooperation and so many skills that pertain to other parts of life. I hope that at some point they can find joy like this."