If Denver volleyball is thankful for anything this season, it’s the Murch family. Lucy’s sisters are setters on the squad. She has stepped in as the starting libero as an eighth-grader for the two-time defending Class 2A state champions that were ranked seventh in this week’s poll. I saw Murch playing up with the 14Us this summer at the USAV Nationals in Indianapolis and was impressed with her advanced feel for the game. She is locked in when she lines up in the back row, playing with confidence and a deep bag of skills. Murch is technically sound with a solid platform. She’s a kid colleges want to get into the their recruiting data base yesterday.

Denver volleyball has won the Class 2A state championship in back to back seasons. The Cyclones graduated plenty of production after last season but tend to reload rather than rebuild. Watching Murch operate at the USAV Junior Nationals with CIA 14s provided evidence that the train can keep rolling. She held her own playing up an age group with the look of an athlete on an ideal trajectory. Her older sister already established on the varsity, Murch should receive important reps as an eighth-grader working with the program’s top coaches and student-athletes. Early contributions to the high school team seem highly likely.