One win away from the state finals, the Dove Creek Bulldogs volleyball team picked a bad time to lose its first game.
Playing against the Flemming Eagles at the Denver Coliseum on Nov. 9, the Bulldogs dropped a competitive three-set contest, falling 25-18, 26-24, 25-17. With the loss, Dove Creek was eliminated from the state tournament.
Looking somewhat flat to begin their biggest match of the year, the Bulldogs had difficulty matching Flemming's intensity early on, falling 25-18.
"Right off the bat, Shelbie (Knuckles) came down on a Flemming players' foot and sprained her ankle," said Bulldogs' head coach Scott Knuckles. "We still got some hitting from some of the other girls, but they had a good middle that we couldn't figure out."
Beginning the second set with renewed focus, the Bulldogs pulled ahead 9-8 after a block by Corissa Guynesonly to see their slim lead dissipate after several blocks by Flemming players.
After multiple back-and-forth points that featured solid hitting by both teams, the Bulldogs pulled ahead 24-23 on a kill by Corissa Guynes, but were unable to close things out, falling 26-24.
"We had a few calls that didn't go our way," said Scott Knuckles. "Not to take anything away from (Flemming) though, we should have finished it ourselves."
Playing with their backs against the wall in the third set, the Bulldogs hung tough, pulling to within one point at 15-16 on a block by Fury.
At that point, Flemming would lock down however, sending multiple hard spikes into the Bulldogs' court in route to a 25-17 third set victory.
Clearly shaken by their first defeat of the season, Bulldogs players congregated near their locker room, hugged and shed tears.
"I'm really proud of my team," said Bulldogs' senior Madison Young. "I'll always remember playing with all of my friends. Our team played so well. We've been together since fourth grade."
"We're a really close team," added Bulldogs senior Shelbie Knuckles. "That's why we came so far. We play together. Even though we lost, we're not mad at each other, and we know that we gave it everything that we had."
In the end, everything the Bulldogs had was not quite good enough to win the state title, but the team can be proud of a highly successful season in which it finished with a 26-1 record.
"It says a lot about their character and their ability to be great athletes," said Scott Knuckles. "I'm proud of the entire group."
THIS STORY WAS REPORTED LIVE ONLINE
Saturday's action was reported on Twitter @cortezjournal and @imac_34. Updates also appeared on the Cortez Journal's Facebook page.
A video of the Bulldogs' victory is available at www.cortezjournal.com.
Follow high school sports in the Four Corners area on Twitter at @cortezjournal and @imac_34 as well as the Cortez Journal's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CortezJournal
