Hanging with the Monument Valley Mustangs (3-2) is no small task.
But the Montezuma-Cortez Panthers (3-7) managed to do a decent job during Tuesday’s volleyball match.
The Panthers were swept in three games, but head coach Andi Pickens was able to find positive notes after losing to a team that has four state titles in the past seven seasons.
“The games were really close,” Pickens said. “It wasn’t like they were killing us at all. The positive thing is that we will change for the next game and the girls learn something from it.”
One thing Pickens believes her team is improving on is court vision and the ability to hit the ball to specific spots.
Although it may not have shown in games one or three – which the Panthers lost 15-25 and 16-25 – the Panthers fought back from a deficit in game two to tie the game at 21.
But tied at 21, the Mustangs closed out the game on a 4-1 run to win.
The Panthers had a few errors, but they were simply out-matched by the quicker, more athletic Monument Valley team.
“They got everything up,” said Pickens. “Whether it was blocking us or digging. So it was kind of frustrating for our girls, because they couldn’t score that way. Monument Valley waited for us to make the mistake.”
The Panthers next matchup is at Pagosa Springs (8-3) on Thursday.
After playing the Pirates to three close games in a loss last week in the Delta Tournament, the Panthers know what to expect.
“They’re a really big team,” Pickens said. “They have really big blockers. But we can do it. They have big girls, but our girls are smart enough to figure out their weaknesses.”