The Pagosa Springs High School Lady Pirate volleyball team broke its four-game losing streak with a win at Monte Vista earlier this week.
The Lady Pirates played at Centauri on Thursday, Oct. 15, and lost 3-0.
The Falcons were 12-5 and ranked in the top five in 2A ahead of the matchup.
The loss extended the Lady Pirates’ losing streak to four games and gave them an overall record of 4-12.
The girls lost the first set 25-19, the second set 25-15 and the third set 25-13.
Still, coach Chelsea Caler expressed she is proud of her team’s showing in the loss.
“Centauri is a strong team, and I thought we did some good things defensively, especially at the net,” wrote Caler in an email to The SUN. “We struggled to generate as much offense as we needed, but I was proud of the effort. The final score didn’t necessarily reflect all the things I felt we did well.”
Dawson Iverson led the team with six kills. Ellie Vining had five, and Avea Bruce had four.
Vining and Saleisha Black led the team with two aces each. The girls had a team serve completion percentage of 82 percent.
Sydney Plake led the team with two total blocks.
Darria Fiorenza led the team with eight digs, and Liana Vega had a team-high 17 assists.
The Lady Pirates were back in action on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Monte Vista.
The two teams came in ranked relatively closely, with Pagosa Springs ranked 46th in 3A and Monte Vista ranked 43rd in 2A, respectively.
Pagosa’s Lady Pirates got the best of Monte Vista’s Lady Pirates, winning the match 3-0 and ending their four-game losing streak.
“We did a good job sticking to our game plan and being more intentional with our shot selection,” wrote Caler. “Our blocking was solid, and we had several players step up in key moments.”
The girls won the first set 25-21, the second set 25-21 and the third set 29-27.
“Dawson had a great game against Monte Vista, and our middles played well,” wrote Caler. “I was also proud of Veda [Deitemeyer] stepping into right back defense and making some important defensive plays. With an injury forcing a change at libero in the final set, Darria stepped into that role and played well.”
Pagosa’s Lady Pirates are now 5-12 this season and ranked 42nd in 3A.
Up next, they’ll host the Alamosa Mean Moose on Thursday, Oct. 22, and the Ignacio Bobcats on Monday, Oct. 26.
The girls previously lost to Alamosa this season and are yet to play Ignacio.
The Mean Moose are 14-4 on the season and are ranked sixth in 3A.
The Bobcats are 13-3 on the season and are ranked ninth in 2A.
Both matches are slated to begin around 6 p.m.
“The focus needs to be on our blocking, defensive coverage, and ability to execute our offensive strategy with getting other teams out of system,” wrote Caler. “Consistency in those areas will be important as we finish the season.”
jsellner@orourkemediagroup.com
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