The Mancos Lady Blue Jays dropped their final regular season match last week against the Ignacio Bobcats.
But they took another step forward.
Hosting the Bobcats on Thursday, Oct. 20 for senior night, the Lady Jays fell 25-20 in game one and lost the second set 25-14.
Then in game three, they roared back.
Mackenzie Benitez opened the set with consecutive kills, and Aura Kirks and Magdalena Halls added scores to give the home team an early 7-1 advantage.
Then, Ericka Peacock served up an ace and Nicole Hess thumped in a spike in the middle stages of the contest to give Mancos a 16-10 lead.
And although Alisianna Baker and Makayla Howell would help bring Ignacio back to even things up at 18 later in the set, a perfect push shot by Hess and subsequent kills by Peacock and Halls fueled the Blue Jays on to a 25-19 win.
While Ignacio would win game four 25-22 to take the match, the Lady Jays looked like a different team in the final two sets. They were energetic, passionate and didn’t back down from the visiting Bobcats.
“It’s so cliché, but it’s just confidence,” said head coach Brittany Lang. “They have a positive attitude, naturally, because of who they are as people; they’re just positive nice, respectful people. But as athletes they’re learning how to compete and how to overcome adversity.”
Ignacio swept Mancos in their first meeting this season, so for the Jays to show confidence and take a game from the Bobcats on Thursday showed growth.
“We knew from the very beginning that it was going to one of these building years,” explained Lang. “So just being aware that we’re not going to be the best team in the league was really important for us just to lay that foundation. But we’re playing well.”
A big part of laying the foundation for the Jays’ program has been its seniors – Hess, Tayler Power-Bahr, Aura Kirks and manager Faith Asnicar – all of whom were honored during the senior night festivities.
“I’ve been coaching for four years, so this is my first freshman to senior class,” said Lang. “And I think that Nicole and Taylor in particular – who’ve played since they were freshman – are laying a foundation for a strong, strong Mancos team.”
Mancos finished the season with a 2-17 record and was 0-11 in San Juan Basin League play.
But beginning the Class 2A District 3 Tournament on Friday in Ridgway, none of that matters, as each team has a chance to advance.
“Sports are built the way that they are so that the season is like practice,” said Lang. “We’re building up for this postseason and when we go in, it’s going to be really big for us.”