Discovery Canyon brought the Thunder in the opening round of the 5A state playoffs. But the results of that storm at Trojan Arena in Fountain also affected Discovery Canyon.

The Thunder swept No. 4-seeded Rampart 25-18, 25-23, 25-22 on Thursday, but the No. 5-seeded Thunder played two-thirds of the afternoon without a key cog in their machine. 

Brennan Miles, the Thunder’s leading hitter, exited the game in the first set, attempted to return in the second, but again departed and finished the day with ice wrapped around his left ankle.

“He really wanted that comeback, but that just was not in the cards for us today,” Discovery Canyon coach Mallory Richardson said. “We have big depth on our bench and so we were able to recover. … Losing a captain is always a big spot to fill, but we have another captain, Ben Le, who was able to bring everybody together. We had an injury, but they knew we still had a job to do.”

The Thunder (22-2) expect Miles to return Friday. In his absence, they remained locked on their goal. The Thunder shuttered the Rams’ (23-3) second-set rally and, after a swift game of tug-of-war with the lead, wrapped the set with a two-point win. 

Discovery Canyon bolted to a three-point lead that ballooned to 17-9 in the third set. But the Rams chipped away and threatened to take a set off the Thunder, who have dropped just two sets in their past eight matches. 

Rampart cut the lead to 23-22, but Discovery Canyon secured the final two points to earn the win and advance to the second round where the Thunder will face top-seeded Eaglecrest at 2:15 p.m. Friday.

The way the Thunder ceded points to the Rams in the final set, Richardson knows her athletes can’t expect to win in that fashion against the undefeated defending champs. 

“When we look at a team that has Eaglecrest’s standard and record, that’s a team that we’ll go battle with,” Richardson said. “But any points we give up to them how we did with Rampart will cost us. It’s crucial for us to finish each point, and how we had a nine-point differential (against Rampart), we have to be able to finish out that match or that point or whatever the case is.” 

For the Rams, they’ve dropped three matches this season. Two of those came via the Thunder. The Rams, who are in their second season as a team, experienced their first-ever taste of the state tournament after a 12-13 finish in 2025. 

Coach Marc Phillips knows his team boasts a wealth of talent. But their inexperience on the state stage served as a detriment. 

“I think we felt the pressure of being at state,” Phillips said. “This is our first time being at state and we have a really young team. There were some nerves, but hopefully those nerves are gone now and hopefully we can have some more success.”

The Rams fell to the consolation bracket and face No. 8 Castle View at 10:45 a.m. If the Rams win, they’ll advance to the second-round consolation at 5:45 p.m. A loss would give Rampart its first two-game losing streak of the season and eliminate it from the tournament. 

“All the guys play club (volleyball) and they’ve been in tough situations before,” Phillips said. “Part of it for our guys is coming together as a team and cheering each other up when we make a mistake as opposed to getting upset. That and trusting each other is the key.” 

Colorado Springs Christian School swept in 4A opener

This was the first time the Lions had been swept in more than a month. After a strong first set against No. 3 Mountain View, the Lions couldn’t reach 20 points and dropped to the consolation bracket.

The Lions lost in straight sets to Mountain View’s Lions 25-22, 25-19, 25-16 to end their two-match winning streak.

CSCS remains alive in the tournament but will compete in the first-round consolation game at 9 a.m. Friday against No. 2 Regis Groff. A victory in the first-round consolation would put CSCS in the second-round consolation bracket and the Lions would play at 4 p.m. A loss would end the Lions’ season.

First round results

Thursday

5A

No. 1 Eaglecrest def. No. 8 Castle View 3-1 (19-25, 25-17, 25-14, 25-19)

No. 5 Discovery Canyon def. No. 4 Rampart 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-22)

No. 2 Littleton Public Schools def. No. 7 Legacy 3-1 (25-14, 18-25, 25-21, 26-24)

No. 3 Grandview def. No. 6 Douglas County 3-1 (26-24, 21-25, 25-18, 25-22)

4A

No. 1 D’Evelyn def. No. 8 Stargate School 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-18)

No. 5 Mullen def. No. 4 Pueblo South 3-0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-20)

No. 7 Lutheran def. No. 2 Regis Groff 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-20)

No. 3 Mountain View def. No. 6 Colorado Springs Christian 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-16)

Second round (winners advance to semifinals)

Friday

5A

No. 5 Discovery Canyon vs. No. 1 Eaglecrest, 2:15 p.m.

No. 3 Grandview vs. No. 2 Littleton Public Schools, 2:15 p.m.

4A

No. 5 Mullen vs. No. 1 D’Evelyn, 12:30 p.m.

No. 7 Lutheran vs. No. 3 Mountain View, 12:30 p.m.  

Friday’s consolation

5A

No. 8 Castle View vs. No. 4 Rampart, 10:45 a.m.

No. 7 Legacy vs. No. 6 Douglas County, 10:45 a.m.

4A

No. 8 Stargate School vs. No. 4 Pueblo South, 9 a.m. No. 6 Colorado Springs Christian vs. No. 2 Regis Groff, 9 a.m.

This story has been updated with results from CSCS’ match.