Back and forth points, nail-biting sets and a Bluejays' victory. Might as well call it an early candidate for match of the year.

Competing against a tough Durango High School junior varsity squad at home on Sept. 5, the Mancos girls' volleyball team thrilled the home crowd in route to an exciting five-set victory.

Kicking off the match's first set on a 4-0 run, culminated by a hard kill by junior Courtney Colyer, things looked good for the Bluejays early.

After Durango scored a series of points later in the set, however, the Bluejays found themselves in an 11-12 hole, searching for answers.

At that point, the Bluejays' big hitters stepped up, sending numerous hard spikes into Durango's court before eventually opening up a 22-15 lead on a nice serve by senior Emily Funmaker.

Eventually, the Bluejays would capture the first set, 25-21.

"When (Funmaker) gets in her groove, she's unstoppable," said Bluejays' head coach Brittany Lang. "Her serve is really strong and when she is in the back row, she is very consistent."

Looking to continue their strong play in the second set, the Bluejays looked strong early on, taking a 3-0 lead on a nice offensive tip by senior Brandy Bundy.

Durango would battle back, however, and after a long series of close points, won the second set by a score of 25-20.

After falling behind 5-0 in the third set, the Bluejays recovered, eventually pulling to within two at 15-13 after a nice serve by junior Jessica Willburn. Durango's attack would prove too much to handle, however, and after a series of hard-fought points, the Bluejays eventually dropped the set 25-23.

Playing with their backs to the wall in the fourth set, the Bluejays turned things on and after a series of long rallies early, found themselves ahead 19-15 following an impressive block by sophomore Taryn Gordanier.

Speaking of Gordanier's strong play throughout the match, Lang said, "When she is on, she's on. She has a really fast arm swing, which enables her to hit around blocks. Her knowledge of the game, with reading hitters is also getting better."

After a kill by Gordanier and a series of well-played points, the Bluejays won the fourth set, 25-19, thereby forcing a deciding fifth set.

As the crowd roared its approval, the Bluejays came together, taking a commanding 10-6 lead on a nice kill by junior Taylor Goff.

Durango would fight back, however, and with the score tied 13-13, Colyer stepped up, hitting two clutch serves to secure a 15-13 set victory, giving Mancos the match.

"Our coach is really big on tenacity," said Collyer. "It has helped us bring ourselves together and calm down."

"We all worked together," said Funmaker, describing what allowed the Bluejays to win the match. "When we have everybody here supporting us, it gives us a lot of energy. Everyone was really loud and supportive."

Two days after their big win against Durango, the Bluejays travelled to the Cortez Tournament to compete against teams from Delta, Cortez, Dove Creek, Dolores and Kirtland.

After losing a tight match to Dolores, 23-25, 25-27 to open pool play, the Bluejays dropped another close contest to the Montezuma-Cortez High School Panthers 16-25, 26-14, 15-17.

Playing Kirtland for 5th place in the tournament, the Bluejays took care of business, winning 25-20, 23-25, 25-12, 25-20.

Assessing her team's overall play in the Cortez Tournament, Lang said, "We need to talk more. When we talk and we are aware of what is happening on the other side, then we're able to reflect and change our game on our side."

While Lang's words speak to certain improvements that must be made, one thing is for certain. Fans and players alike will not soon forget the Bluejays' hard-fought and exciting week on the volleyball court.