With loyal fans crowding its home gym and a large contingency of alumni shouting encouragement, the Dove Creek High School volleyball team rolled to a 25-18, 25-11, 19-25, 25-18 victory over Norwood on Sept. 13.
The victory improved the Bulldogs’ record to 8-1 overall and 3-0 in the San Juan Basin League, and with road matches against Ridgway, Norwood and Mancos next on their schedule, the Bulldogs are not likely to cool off soon.
Among the keys to Dove Creek’s latest win was the stellar play of junior outside hitter Cassie Gatlin, who hammered down a match-best 12 kills and played a solid game defensively with 11 digs.
Sophomore Grace Hatfield also came up big for the Bulldogs with five kills on just eight attempts and a team-high 16 digs. Senior Madilyn Hankins led the Bulldogs in serving with five aces, and junior Taylor Hickman led Dove Creek with 19 assists.
After falling behind 4-1 five points into the match and finding itself tied 10-10 later in the first game, the Bulldogs won four straight points behind several strong serves by Hatfield. Dove Creek closed out the first game after a cross-court kill by Gatlin and a hitting error by Norwood.
Playing some of its most dominating volleyball of the season in the second game, Dove Creek pulled ahead 17-1 before coasting to a 25-11 victory. Precision passing and solid defensive positioning made a big difference for the Bulldogs, who seemed able to dig out every kill attempt that Norwood made.
Looking to close things out in the final game, the Bulldogs fell behind early and never caught up as Norwood sophomore Jenna Baugh hammered down several kills and came through with a few impressive digs.
Eager to lock down a victory and leave the gym in time to see their school’s football team kick off its homecoming matchup against Norwood, the Bulldogs Creek played efficiently in the fourth game and locked down what was a relatively easy victory.
Now 8-1 on the season, the Bulldogs will travel to Ridgway on Sept. 21 and will play in Norwood on Sept. 22. Dove Creek has yet to play either of its upcoming San Juan Basin League foes so far this season.