The Pagosa Springs High School Lady Pirate volleyball team faced off against two of the top teams in 3A Colorado volleyball over the last week, falling to the No. 8 Centauri Falcons and the No. 5 Bayfield Wolverines.
The Lady Pirate hosted the Falcons on Thursday, Oct. 23, for a back-and-forth affair.
The Falcons took the extended first set 29-27 and the second set 25-17 before the Lady Pirates rebounded with a 25-22 win in the third set. The Falcons sealed the 3-1 win with a 25-16 fourth set.
“It was so fun watching the girls go toe-to-toe with Centauri. They’re a part of the top-ranked teams, and I thought we competed really well,” coach Chelsea Caler wrote in an email to The SUN.
The Lady Pirates had 31 kills in the matchup, led by Lexi Campbell’s 17. Kaila Limebrook and Dawson Iverson each had four, Avea Bruce had three, Hayden Peterson picked up two, and Amber Snarr logged one.
Campbell logged both of the team’s serving aces against Centauri.
The team had six total blocks, led by Limebrook’s two solo and one assisted. Campbell had a solo and an assisted block, and Peterson and Bruce each had two assisted blocks. Sydney Plake put up one assisted block.
The Lady Pirates picked up 71 digs in the game, with four Lady Pirates tallying double digits in digs: Campbell had 18, 12 from Peterson, and Charity Domingo and Tatiana Monterroso had 10.
Peterson had 16 of the teams 22 assists.
Monterroso led the team in serve receptions with 18 of the total 69, with Campbell logging 16 and Domingo receiving 15.
“Our serve receive was solid, and Lexi stood out with 17 kills and 18 digs for another double-double. We played great defense overall, with our block getting a ton of touches, and Hayden, Charity, and Tati kept us in it with some power defense and big plays,” Caler wrote. “Even though it ended in a loss, it was a fun senior night and showed that when we play hard and together, we can compete with anyone. We really kept Centauri on their toes.”
The Falcons now hold a 15-8 record on the season.
On Tuesday, Oct. 28, the team traveled to take on the Bayfield Wolverines, but returned home with a 3-0 loss.
And, as Caler notes, the game was “a different story.”
Bayfield defeated the Lady Pirates 25-17, 25-13 and 25-11.
“It wasn’t our best outing, we struggled to find rhythm on offense and defense, and couldn’t quite get over the scrambling and frustration once we fell behind,” Caler wrote.
Stats for the match were not available by press time Wednesday.
The Wolverines are now 14-5 on the season.
The Lady Pirates are now 3-16 on the season and are the No. 38 team in 3A.
This week, the Lady Pirates will face a trio of 4A teams at the Coal Ridge Tournament and will be looking to surprise with consistency and confidence.
On Friday, Oct. 31, at 12:15 p.m., the team will face the Palisade Bulldogs at 12:15 p.m.
The Bulldogs are 8-11 on the season and are the No. 31 team in Colorado 4A volleyball.
Later that day, at about 5:15 p.m., the Lady Pirates are scheduled to take on the Rifle Bears, who are 1-17 on the season and are the No. 64 team in 4A.
The following morning, the Lady Pirates will take on the Glenwood Springs Demons.
The Demons are the No. 10 team in 4A and own a 17-2 record.
The fourth match will be determined by tournament play.
“Heading into the Coal Ridge Tournament, we’ve got 4 tough matches against 4A schools, but I’m hopeful we’ll show up ready to compete,” Caler wrote. “We’re right on the fence for regionals, and if we can find our consistency and play with confidence, I believe we can surprise some teams and finish the season strong.”
The top 36 teams will advance to regional action, which will be seeded on Monday, Nov. 3, with the remainder of the Intermountain League set to advance based on Wednesday’s standings.
Alamosa was the division’s top team on Wednesday, with Montezuma-Cortez sitting as the No. 23 team.
randi@pagosasun.com
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