A cornered Mullen volleyball team certainly plays better than a complacent Mustangs squad.

The Mustangs were down 2-0 in sets to Montrose, the lowest seed in the Class 4A state tournament Friday at Denver Coliseum. But Mullen, the No. 4 seed, worked its way back for a 21-25, 21-25, 25-12, 25-18, 15-10 victory.

That meant Mullen, 21-7, is the only team in Pool 1 to survive an upset-filled tournament. They did it against Montrose, the upset specialist of the day. The eighth-seeded Indians knocked off No. 1 Cheyenne Mountain in the second match of the tournament 16-25, 25-19, 25-22, 19-25, 15-13.

In the other pool, No. 6 Lewis-Palmer upset No. 3 Roosevelt 17-25, 16-25, 25- 20, 25-19, 16-14, but Berthoud is in the best position in Pool 2 after wins against Skyline and Lewis-Palmer on Friday.

If Lewis-Palmer beats Skyline in the last match of pool play today, the Rangers will be the No. 2 seed, provided Berthoud, the second seed, beats Roosevelt.

The top two teams in each pool will play cross-bracket semifinals today. The championship is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Mullen coach Vilis Ozols gave full credit to the excellent defensive display put on by Montrose, particularly when the Indians jumped to a quick 2-0 lead in sets.

"They dug nails - they picked up everything," Ozols said. "We were really slow in transition and we made some unforced errors, but Montrose's defense was really great."

Montrose coach Shane Forrest admitted the Cheyenne Mountain win was a big upset, but she believed her Indians got tagged with a fairly low seed in the first place.

"We lost to (No. 3 seed) Roosevelt in regionals in five games, so we don't think we did anything to hurt our No. 6 seed (after districts)," Forrest said. "But I guess you have to put everyone someplace."

In the Mullen match, the Indians put the Mustangs in their place early behind smart shot-making from outside hitters Courtney Geesing and Brianna Verble, both of whom finished with 10 kills for the match. Geesing and Verble also kept plenty of points going when Mullen blocked the Indians' shots back over the net.

Mullen's Allie Friewald, a 6-foot-1 junior setter/right-side hitter, got the Mustangs back in the win column by dominating the third set. She had eight kills and two aces in that set, ending with a match-high 21 kills, plus two blocks.

"I think the most frustrating thing was their defense," Friewald said. "As a front-row player, it was hard to find a spot to hit the ball. They had a big middle (Darby Jones) on the block, too. After the first two games, we said we're going to tool it off the block so it goes out of bounds."

The Mustangs also ran quicker plays to middle Kelsey Freeman (nine kills), while Rachel Keyes, who mirrors Friewald at both positions, played at an intense level. Still, Mullen's win largely was attributable to Friewald. She had five hitting errors in the first two games but only one after that.

"She's the bellwether of our team," Ozols said. "When she plays well, our entire team plays well."

Mullen and Montrose carry a special aura with them at state, as both squads compete in mostly Class 5A leagues during the regular season. Mullen had a losing skid at midseason against some of the giants in the Centennial League, and Montrose was champion of the Southwestern League.

Montrose was led by middle Kelsie Dardis, who racked up 11 kills, but the Indians also got eight from Jones.

Montrose can assure itself of breaking pool and making the semifinals by beating Windsor today in the third match of the schedule. Mullen starts off the day against Cheyenne Mountain.

"It is a great situation to be in," Forrest said. "Yes, it was a tough loss to Mullen, but that's the caliber of play that should be at this tournament."

Mullen also started out Friday with a satisfying win, sweeping Windsor 25- 20, 25-20, 25-11. But the comeback against Montrose was what had Ozols particularly pleased.

"To do it over the pressure of the state tournament really makes it cool," he said.

"To do it over the pressure of the state tournament really makes it cool," he said.