After two wins over Class 5A opponents, it appears as if this year’s Montezuma-Cortez High School volleyball team is for real.
Panthers squeak past Fruita
Opening its Southwest League schedule at home against Fruita Monument on Sept. 19, M-CHS shined, gutting its way to a 25-15, 23-25, 25-22, 16-25, 17-15 victory.
According to M-CHS head coach Andi Pickens, the win was significant in light of the fact that the Panthers were behind 6-11 in the fifth set before pulling out the victory.
“Our mental game was all over, but we finally pulled it together,” said Pickens. “We’re mentally strong as a team.”
Playing a key role in the victory were Naomi Pinnecoose, who led her team with 34 kills, Kristin Pierce had a match-high 36 digs and Laurel Chappell had five aces and 53 assists.
“We didn’t stop, even when we were struggling,” said Pinnecoose, discussing her team’s win. “We felt like we played as a team.”
Panthers defeat GJ Central
Still buzzing from its victory over Fruita, the Panthers returned to their home court on Sept. 20 and defeated Grand Junction Central 22-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-19.
Despite M-CHS’s convincing win, the early stages of the match did not go well for M-CHS as Central rallied from an 18-16 deficit to win first set.
The Panthers quickly rallied however, pulling ahead 10-2 in the second set after a hard kill by Pierce.
After Central managed to cut M-CHS’s lead to 16-14, two kills and several solid defensive plays by Francesca Toms energized the Panthers on their way to a second-set win.
“We were much more aggressive and we played really well together,” said Toms of her team’s play in the second set.
Completely seizing control of the match in the third set, M-CHS pulled ahead 14-9 after a quality block by Danielle McDonald before winning the set with ease.
“We played super well,” said Pickens. “We covered like crazy and we were digging everything.
Determined to close things out in the fourth set, the Panthers continued to pour it on thank to several kills and a well-timed block by Abby Chupp to close out the match.
Pinnecoose again led the Panthers in kills with 22, while Pierce registered a team-high 29 digs. Chappell added five aces and 37 assists to her team’s cause.
Now sporting a 10-2 overall record and a 2-0 record in the Southwest League, M-CHS practice this week to prepare for road matchups against Fruita (Sept. 26) and Montrose (Sept. 27).
“We can still improve our confidence,” said Chappell of her team’s goal moving forward. “Last season was a rough season for us. We just need to know that we’re good.”