“It was hard to describe, but it was incredible. It was as if everything we worked for payed off,”

Lydia Bartalo,11, said after being asked how if felt like to win the second state championship for

the Lewis-Palmer volleyball program. It all started when Bartalo was little. Her mother coached volleyball and her older sisters played so she was always in the gym watching.

Good grades when playing a sport is difficult and achieving good grades is even harder.

“When balancing my school work and volleyball it’s important to use all of my time wisely.” said Bartalo.

Though balancing volleyball and her social life isn’t a big change for Bartalo.  When asked about what she was looking forward to the most this season, Bartalo said she couldn’t wait to play with her great teammates. The intense home games is what most of fans look forward too. As for the rest of this season, Bartalo has no doubts.

“It’s a very different team and it’s certainly difficult to compare the two. I have faith in everyone on the team.” Bartalo said.

“It was a giant surprise!”, Bartalo said after finding out the volleyball program was ranked #1 in the country by MaxPreps, “There are just so many good teams in the nation, so it was an absolute honor.”

“The environment between the two is different. In school you’re playing not just for yourself or the team, you’re representing the whole school.”

Along with high school, Bartalo also plays club volleyball. The coaching is different because the aspects of the game are different depending on the season.

Lydia is committed to the University of Denver on a full ride scholarship.

“It has amazing education opportunities, which is the most important, but it also has great coaches,” Bartalo said, “The girls there are so nice.”

Reruting is usually a difficult processes. Bartalo was recruited early in her sophomore year so she didn’t have the chance for a long recruiting process. Bartalo said this about her future college career.

“I don’t know what the future holds. We’ll see what happens.” said Bartalo