Having stepped off the volleyball court only a few months ago, following a 2020 season pushed back by the coronavirus pandemic to Spring ’21, Ignacio’s already back in action with their first Fall ’21 match just two weeks away. 

So in that regard, one could say a return to the sport’s traditional – as laid out by the Colorado High School Activities Association – timing will be akin to striking while the metaphorical iron is hot. Considering the squad’s schedule released this week to the media, that could prove more beneficial than perhaps anything else. 

For including a mid-season trip to the Sept. 24-25 Simla Invitational, and another long haul out to the Rye Invite wrapping up the regular-season grind, IHS will be away from home ten times – eleven if one counts 3A Pagosa Springs’ Pirate 4 Corners Scrimmages slated for this Sat., Aug. 14. 

Officially picking up where they left off back on April 24, the ’Cats will then get everything underway at 4 p.m. Fri., Aug. 27, at graduation-wracked Ridgway, with a trip to Mancos following four days later.  After getting their first look at a couple 2A-level rivals in the 2A/1A San Juan Basin League, Ignacio will welcome Montezuma-Cortez Thurs., Sept. 2. 

And if there was a southwestern-Colorado crew eager to resume work so quickly after a swiftly moving spring, it would be the Lady Panthers (No. 7 in the preseason CHSAANow.com Class 3A poll), who went 8-0 in the 3A Intermountain and 14-1 overall after falling to Sterling in the eight-team 3A State Championships’ semifinals. 

Non-league action continues for IHS with a 9/9 date at Del Norte, which eliminated SJBL heavyweight Dolores (7-1 2A SJBL, 10-2 2A/1A SJBL, 10-6 overall in Spring 2021) from 2A State contention with a 3-0 sweep at the 2A-Region VI Championships.   Runners-up to DHS in the 2A SJBL race, Telluride (6-2 2A SJBL, 9-3 2A/1A SJBL, 11-5 overall) will visit IHS Gymnasium Sat., Sept. 11, before the ’Cats (3-5, 6-5, 6-7) begin preparing for a challenging 9/18 road match at Dove Creek. 

Tops amongst the San Juan Basin’s 1A-level programs in Spring ’21, the Lady Bulldogs (6-0 1A SJBL, 10-0 2A/1A SJBL) finished 12-3 overall after losing to the Stratton-Joes Liberty co-op in the 1A-Region V Championships. 

Dolores at last comes calling the afternoon of Tues., Sept. 21, prior to Ignacio packing up for a Simla spectacle known for attracting top-flight 2A and/or 1A (SHS checked in at No. 2 in the preseason 1A rankings) resistance. 

After returning from far-off Elbert County, IHS will begin October hosting Ridgway (4-4 2A SJBL, 7-6 2A/1A SJBL, 7-7 overall), Nucla (3-3 1A SJBL, 5-6 2A/1A SJBL, 6-7 overall), and Mancos (0-8 2A SJBL, 2-10 2A/1A SJBL, 2-11 overall) on, respectively, the 1st, 2nd and 7th, before then journeying on the 15th to Norwood, to THS the next day, and to PSHS on the 21st. 

Norwood (3-3 1A SJBL, 3-8 2A/1A SJBL, 4-10 overall) is then slated to visit Ignacio on the 22nd, with Dolores then awaiting the Volleycats on the 26th—just prior to their eastward Greenhorn Valley excursion for the Oct. 29-30 Rye Invite. 

PRESEASON CHSAANOW.COM CLASS 2A VOLLEYBALL RANKINGS (8/10) 

1.Meeker, 2.Denver Christian, 3.Wiggins, 4.Greeley Dayspring Christian, 5.Yuma, 6.Lyons, 7.Fowler, 8.Hoehne, 9.Sedgwick County, 10.Rye.  (Others Receiving Votes—Limon, Swink, Lafayette Dawson School, Sanford, Lakewood Addenbrooke Classical, Edwards Vail Christian, Mancos, Holyoke, Sargent, Del Norte.)