If one looks at the scores of last Saturday’s volleyball triangular held at Montezuma-Cortez High School – a 22-25, 23-25, 13-25 loss to Bayfield, then a 12-25, 25-20, 21-25, 22-25 loss to Centauri – one can basically see what Joye McHenry saw.
And thus, what has the Panthers’ new skipper stoked entering the 2019 season’s final weeks.
The only question seems to be whether she can keep her squad’s batteries fully charged.
“This is one of the most intelligent volleyball-knowledge teams I’ve had. They’ve obviously had good coaches in the past,” McHenry said this week. “They have a certain amount of volleyball knowledge that is impressive, and they have extremely athletic capabilities.”
Wrapping up an event that lasted nearly nine hours that included junior-varsity matches, three consecutive Avery Wright kills against Centauri from the left side and one from Myka Glover not only kept the Falcons honest late in the finale, it showed M-CHS can hang with the 3A Intermountain League’s best.
“With two top-ranked teams ... I made a lot of changes in three days,” said McHenry, who debuted as head coach at the triangular, after athletic director Dave Robinson helped guide the team to three-game sweeps of 5A Grand Junction Central, Pagosa Springs and 3A Olathe in the wake of Maddie Wright’s departure. “So I was kind of curious to see the mental toughness of the girls and what they could handle with three days’ worth of changes. I feel like they rocked it!”
Rock it they did, recording numbers McHenry and new assistant Caroline Glover, formerly the head coach at 2A Mancos, can’t wait to see replicated as the regular season winds down beginning with Saturday afternoon’s road match at Monte Vista.
(The Panthers’ Oct. 18 clash with Grand Junction has been rescheduled for Oct. 26 at 1 p.m.)
Sophomore outside/middle hitter Avery Wright finished the four-game test versus Centauri with a whopping 21-kill, 12-dig performance. Junior middle/outside Myka Glover downed 17 kills, and floor-cleaning junior libero Amber Wood came up with 11 digs despite playing with an injured finger.
“Car door,” McHenry quipped. “Her finger’s ... quite the fright.”
Glover and Wright led the way offensively against Bayfield with nine and eight kills, respectively, and Wood finished with 10 digs. Totaling 62 assists (41 versus Centauri), junior setter Leigha Comisky also shone despite a wrapped left hand, requiring her to both toss and hit serves with her right. She also managed to pace M-CHS in digs versus Centauri with 16, while lone senior Malia Begay rotated in off the bench to rack up a vital 13.
“I think when you talk just natural athletic ability, Avery and Myka are definitely the leaders; they both are strong, skill-wise. But really, I’m more impressed with the girls who’ve had further to come,” stated McHenry, “who’ve had positions moved on them. They’re the ones impressing me and giving me the most hope.”
Standing 6-6 overall, 1-6 IML, Montezuma-Cortez will face a struggling Monte Vista crew that went into Thursday’s non-league contest with Olathe (results were unavailable at press time) standing just 2-13 overall and 0-8 in league. M-CHS will then visit Pagosa Tuesday night, Oct. 22, and host Monte Vista two days later, hopefully with a healthy Devon McHenry, who sprained an ankle during the triangular, before welcoming Grand Junction.
“Right now what we’re working on is some timing issues, and working the setter on some new offensive plays we’re trying to incorporate,” McHenry said.
“It isn’t over,” she emphasized.