The amount of change that occurred with Lewis-Palmer volleyball between their 2023 season finale and this year should require a cashier and receipt.

Lewis-Palmer, ranked No. 2 in 4A, now own a 10-match winning streak after last Thursday’s win over Discovery Canyon.

The Rangers last dropped a set Sept. 7 against Platte Valley, a match Lewis-Palmer won 2-1 and, since then, the Rangers have won 21 consecutive sets.

Which is a stark contrast to how Lewis-Palmer began the year.

“It was a challenge at the start of the season, but being there for each other was crucial,” senior Maddie Sanderson said. “We had a strong schedule and we knew we had a challenge ahead of us. I feel like we’ve grown a lot as a team since the start of the season.”

The Rangers lost nine athletes from last year’s squad that finished 26-4 and advanced to the 4A semifinals.

Last year’s semifinals loss to Thompson Valley and their 0-3 start to this year gave the Rangers a four-game losing streak, which the Rangers had not done since 2021.

“It wasn’t really scary because we were playing really well as a team,” Sanderson said of Lewis-Palmer’s 0-3 start to the year. “Our first three games were against great opponents and we only had four returning players.”

Players recognized the caliber of opponents to open the season, which helped the Rangers shrug off the start.

Thompson Valley currently ranks No. 1 in CHSAA’s poll and is 11-0. The Rangers’ other two losses this season came to 5A opponents Chaparral (12-1), which is atop the 5A polls, and Mountain Vista (11-2) which is fifth in 5A and advanced to the third round in 2023.

“We’ve managed this because these girls work really hard,” coach Don Lash said. “Our goal is to be fundamentally sound so that we do everything really well and these girls take that seriously.”

Lash took the reins this season after Alexa Strube, who helped coach the Rangers to back-to-back Final Four appearances, stepped down for “family reasons” this year.

Strube remains an assistant on the team and, technically, this is Lash’s first season at the helm, but it’s not his first rodeo.

Lash worked as an assistant in Strube’s first season as coach in 2022 and previously coached at Lewis-Palmer from 1985-2001.

Before her first season, Strube called Lash and requested that he helped her as an assistant. Lash accepted and offered his tutelage to Strube and now, he’s the ideal replacement.

“The girls have responded really well to the switch,” Lash said. “I’ve been here the last two years and I’ve been working with Alexa, so I’m not just a stranger off the street. They know me. They accept everything really well and it’s been crucial.”

Brooke Gennerman has also embraced new roles with the team including captain and outside hitter.

Last season as a junior, Gennerman played middle hitter and blocker. This year, Gennerman has flourished as an outside hitter.

Gennerman finished 2023 with 208 kills in 30 games for the Rangers, which was third on her team behind Madi Crowe and Erika Sayer.

Through 12 games, Gennerman has 197 kills, which is second in 4A, and is 10th in hitting percentage (.295.)

“We’ve adapted really well to all the changes,” Gennerman said. “Us sticking together has helped make the changes easier. The changes were a small challenge at first but not too much. I played outside hitter for club. That helped me see the court from a different spot and helped me grow in that position.”

Players said they have a strong connection to one another, which helped cushion the blow of several changes this season.

But having experience with Lash and Strube allowed a smoother transition from 2023 to this year, despite the tough start, continues to help the Rangers succeed on the court.

“Coaching-wise Alexa and Lash have similar techniques,” Sanderson said. “That helped with the change. As players, we knew there’d be some new stuff this year but we were prepared to embrace that and we’ve also embraced that we have some of the best coaches in the gym to help us with change.”