After dropping three consecutive matches to Pagosa Springs, Ignacio and Nucla, the Dolores Bears volleyball team looked to bounce back in a non-conference matchup against Norwood on Tuesday.
The 4-6 Bears hung with the 6-2 Mavericks, but couldn’t secure a win and were swept in three games.
In game one, Norwood’s Macie Magallon and Makayla Sutherland showed power at the net with consecutive spikes to take an early 4-1 lead. But Dolores sophomore Josie Majors answered with a spike of her own, and a Sierra Schwartz serve streak gave the Bears a 6-4 lead.
The teams traded leads, with Magallon dropping in a variety of kill shots, but Majors and Larissa Umberger didn’t back down and met her at the net for Dolores blocks.
Kills by sophomore Cameron Elder and Majors, and an ace by Schwartz, pushed the Bears to within one, 16-17.
With Alyana Frasier serving, the Bears took a 19-18 lead, but spikes by Sutherland and Christa Kennedy put Norwood up for good, and the Mavericks took game one 25-21.
A shaky Norwood start and a kill by Frasier propelled the Bears to an early 4-2 lead in game two. And much like the first game, the two teams battled back-and-forth with multiple lead changes.
Schwartz showed out at the net, leaping for multiple spikes, but consecutive aces by Norwood and a kill by Magallon stretched Norwood’s lead.
Dolores freshman Aryelle Wright started a Bears’ run with a spike, but 17-19 was as close as they came to overtaking the Mavericks, with Norwood winning game two 25-20.
In game three, senior Autumn Seeber provided Dolores with a spark off the bench in her first varsity game.
She and Majors came up with big blocks defensively, and Seeber’s spike in the early goings tied the game at four.
Umberger set up Schwartz and Wright for kills to pull the Bears within two at 15-17, and Majors’ serves evened the score at 17.
However, down the stretch the Bears were unable to keep momentum, and Dolores errors and kills by Norwood led to the Mavericks’ 25-21 win to take the match in three games.
Head coach Gina Hollen thought the team played well overall, and that Seeber added depth to the rotation. However, she noted that there are still things the Bears need to improve and that they will focus on their defense this week with two games coming up.
The Bears get back into conference play with an away match against Telluride on Friday, then a home game against Ouray on Saturday at 4 p.m.