A handful of Shiprock Northwest Falcons players turned their heads to watch as the Mancos Blue Jays took the court to warm up before Tuesday evening's volleyball match.
Then - as the Blue Jays went down the line practicing spikes - their eyes widened.
The Mancos girls went through their routine, setting each other up to slam the ball onto the empty court across the net.
Each player took a turn thumping the ball into the hardwood.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Our goal is to be really versatile," said head coach Brittany Lang. "To be able to set middle and set outside. That's our goal - everyone is a hitter."
The Blue Jays continued to share the ball during their 3-1 win over the Falcons, taking games one, three and four (25-19, 25-22, 25-13), and only dropping game two 24-26 after giving up a 19-15 lead.
In the fourth and final game, junior Nicole Hess and senior Taryn Gordanier put together a string of spikes to jump out to a big lead.
"We've worked a lot on those back row attacks where you see Nicole jumping from the back row and hitting," Lang said.
And, even after moving to a new position, Gordanier seemed comfortable.
"She was a middle blocker for the last three years, but now she's moved to the outside," Lang said. "So I think with more reps will come more consistency."
Senior Jessica Gutierrez roamed the court throughout the match, seeking out opportunities to set her teammates up for big hits.
Tayler Power-Bahr, Anna Cox and Morgan Rose also got in on the action, with Rose using her height and leaping ability to block Falcon returns.
As for senior Hannah Wallace - Lang says - something has clicked.
"She's getting it," Lang continued. "She reads really well, and she's definitely the fastest. She's playing well."
The Blue Jays (1-1) will travel to Newcomb, NM on Friday, September 11th to take on the Skyhawks (5-0) at 4:00 p.m.
Heading into the match, Lang wants to improve the team's speed.
"We just need to be faster in transition," she said. "We need to be able to transition off the net and move forward to get the ball."
