There really is something to being a defending state champion in high school volleyball.

Grandview entered the Class 5A tournament this weekend at the Denver Coliseum with that status, but unlike last season, the Wolves aren't undefeated and they aren't seeded No. 1.

Actually, both of those distinctions belong to Cherry Creek this season, but Grandview still made it happen Friday by beating both of its pool opponents during the first day of action.

Grandview also might have been viewed as a little shaky after the regional round last week, as the Wolves lost a five-set match to Doherty before finishing as champion of that region.

Cherry Creek, meanwhile, kept its perfect record alive with a rather close win - but still it was a three-set sweep - against Doherty (26-24, 25-17, 25-21) and a more comfortable sweep of Columbine (25-13, 25-21, 25-21).

Columbine had taken a set off Cherry Creek earlier this season in a best-of- three match at the Bruin Classic, but the rematch Friday was the only quickly finished match in 5A.

For its second victory Friday, second-seeded Grandview beat sixth- seeded Mountain Vista 25-21, 26-24, 23-25, 25-19. The Golden Eagles feature perhaps the most feared hitter in the state, Purdue recruit Ariel Turner, but the Wolves had 14 kills from junior Erica Denney and 12 from sophomore right-side hitter Morgan Gradishar.

Denney, a 6-foot-4 middle blocker, believes the Doherty loss at regionals might have sharpened Grandview's will to win.

"It just made us practice a little harder," she said. "It was kind of like a slap in the face, like, 'Oh, well, we just can't roll over teams this far, especially at state.' I mean, there's rankings, but there's eight even teams fighting for position and whoever has a better game will win."

Gradishar, a niece of former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar, first attracted notice last season, forging a reputation as an unflinching right-side hitter. She continued her fine play on the first day by being the go-to hitter for setter Theresa Read in a tense contest against Lakewood.

Read, a 5-4 senior, took advantage of her options against Lakewood. Read went to outside hitter Sarah VanGoethem for 15 kills, although the 5-10 senior had a slow start and had 10 hitting errors in that match. Junior middle blocker Jill Anderson also came through, with nine kills, and Tori Svalberg had three.

Read finished with two kills, a block and an ace.

The Wolves won that one, 19-25, 25- 14, 27-25, 25-22. Gradishar recorded six kills in the final set, adding an ace as well. For the match, she had 13 kills, three blocks and the ace.

"Morgan is doing amazing," Denney said. "If she can keep up what she's doing right now, there is no stopping this girl. She's not playing like a sophomore - she's playing like a college athlete."

Denney, who will be a four-year starter, will be one of the top recruits in the nation next year. But she still sees Gradishar as one of the spark plugs on the team.

"I think she gets all of her nerves out with her excitement on the court," Denney said. "She brings bottomless energy to everyone while we're out there, and that's her way of getting the nerves out. That might not be right, but that's my interpretation."

Grandview, led by All-Colorado coach of the year Patty Childress, leads Pool 2 heading into play today.

But Rampart matched the Wolves' 2-0 record, despite trailing Lakewood 1-0 before winning 3-2 in the last match of the round Friday.

In Pool 1, Cherry Creek is on a quest to be the third consecutive Centennial League team to become a 31-0 state champion. The Bruins (28-0) are on course but will face Highlands Ranch in the first match at 8 a.m. today.

What makes that a sought-after match is that the Bruins aren't the only Pool 1 team to chalk up two wins during the first day.

Highlands Ranch, the No. 4 seed, started early by edging Columbine in five sets, then beat Doherty in four.

The Columbine match was a particularly good result, according to Highlands Ranch junior Erica Winkler.

"We went in with an edge because they kept us out of the final four last year," Winkler said, recalling a one-set playoff that the Rebels won.

Highlands Ranch graduated a lot of talent last season, including standouts at outside hitter (Kristina Rogers) and setter (Bri Smith). But Hannah Marg- heim has come on for the Falcons.

"Hannah's been a real offensive weapon," Winkler said. "We've been getting great play from our setters (Kelsey Thompson and Kayla McFadden). I'm proud of both of them."

Thompson is a 5-3 junior, McFadden a 5-5 sophomore, so that lack of height makes it apparent why Highlands Ranch coach Lou Krauss uses a 6-2 offense.

The Falcons also have benefited from strong hitting by 6-foot junior Megan Buckingham and timely blocking from another team leader, 6-foot senior Emily Nielsen.

Lakewood, which was the runner-up to Cherry Creek in Region A on Nov. 1, kept its hopes alive behind vocal crowd support and the strong right arm of middle blocker Shayne Brown.

A 5-11 senior, Brown had 14 kills, six blocks and one ace in the loss to Grandview. She had some early success blocking, and teammate Katie Rosa also did well in that area, with five blocks. On offense, the Tigers, coached by Liz Armbrustmacher, were helped by eight kills from Rachel Gillcrist and six from Rosa.