Two games into the Colorado 1A state volleyball tournament, the Dove Creek Bulldogs have looked every bit the top team in the state.
After opening pool play on Nov. 8 with a victory over Kit Carson (25-14, 25-18, 25-18), the Bulldogs returned to action on Nov. 9 against Vail Christian.
Playing at the Denver Coliseum in front of energetic Dove Creek fans, the Bulldogs dominated from start to finish, winning 25-4, 25-11, 25-13.
Opening the first set with a bang, the Bulldogs jumped ahead 7-0 after several Vail Christian hitting errors. Later in the set, the Bulldogs moved ahead 15-3 on an ace by senior Shelbie Knuckles, before closing things out 25-4 after a Vail Christian spike sailed long.
"They came out strong and played with a lot of intensity," Bulldogs head coach Scott Knuckles said of his team's play in the first set. "Vail Christian got a set off us at Districts, so it was nice to close things out."
Continuing their dominant play in the second set, the Bulldogs jumped ahead early, leading 8-1 much to the despair of shell-shocked Vail Christian.
Although Vail Christian would make a brief run to cut the score to 13-9, the Bulldogs pulled away, wrapping up the first set 25-11 on an ace by Corissa Guynes.
Intent on closing things out in the third set, the Bulldogs pulled ahead 12-2 on a kill by Shelbie Knuckles before closing out the set 25-13 with a perfectly placed spike that dropped in the back left corner of the court.
With the victory, the Bulldogs finished first in their pool, thereby advancing to the state semifinals, which will begin this afternoon. A semifinal opponent has yet to be determined.
"We have a lot of confidence going into the next match," said Scott Knuckles. "Hopefully that will help us a little bit."
Live updates of this afternoon's action will be available on twitter @cortezjournal and @imac_34. Updates will also appear on the Cortez Journal's Facebook page.
A video of the Bulldogs' victory will be available at www.cortezjournal.com.
Follow Dove Creek's run at a state title on Twitter at @cortezjournal and @imac_34