Ignacio wins three of first four in ’24
Unexpecting any real serious uh-ohs Saturday, Aug. 31, as her team sought Victories Nos. 2 and 3 already during a tightly packed first week of competition, Ignacio head coach Jennifer Seibel found herself observing much more intently after her Volleycats went up a game in their second best-of-five at Ridgway.
And it wasn’t because she was overwhelmed.
But after the hosting Lady Demons unexpectedly bolted out to a 5-0 lead in Game 2, and soon increased it to 9-2 – via a strong kill by sophomore Madison Megahee – upon Hill Court, sophomore Kelly Sirios successfully pushed a tip shot to the deep corner, putting sophomore Tarah Baker on serve with IHS down six points.
Having seen brief court time late in Ignacio’s Class 2A State Championships appearance last season, Baker proceeded to hold serve until the guests had regained a 12-9 advantage. Ridgway freshman Mary Patrick at last bumped Baker off serve by scoring with a soft tip shot, but IHS senior Ollyvia Howe responded with a kill – starting the ’Cats on a steady run towards a 25-18 win, finalized by a RHS hitting error after IHS sophomore Lainee Bradley served, and 2-0 match lead.
“She definitely made an impact, not only in her serving but her defense,” Seibel said, of Baker. “She’s worked so hard with her effort – we’re not focusing on highs and lows, but just consistency early in the season – but she’s shown so much improvement in just her mental focus … in the back row.”
Amy Rutherford’s crew, however, put in even more Labor Day weekend work beginning Game 3, and with Patrick on serve quickly went up 4-0 thanks to a kill by junior Sophia Scranton, consecutive Patrick aces freezing Howe and Baker, plus an Ignacio rotation violation. Bradley gained the serve after a RHS net violation and pushed the ’Cats – who’d won 25-11, 25-8, 25-15 earlier that afternoon – out front, 6-4, helped by two serves RHS junior Ava Berwanger couldn’t handle.
And the Lady Demons, seeking their first triumph in 2024 after an 0-3 showing at the 8/24 Crested Butte Invitational, would get no closer than 7-6 before Ignacio earned ten of the next 12 points. Leading 17-8 after a fine cross-court put-away into the opposite deep corner by senior Marissa Olguin, the ’Cats quickly clinched the contest with a 6-0 burst featuring three straight Olguin serves which RHS failed to field, and ultimately freshman Karalina Guffey’s kill on match point.
“They did give us a scare!” admitted Seibel. “They fought back, had us on our heels … so it was good, though, for the girls to be able to come back from behind and fight for that.”
The 25-15, 25-18, 25-11 sweep improved Ignacio’s record to 2-0 in 2A/1A San Juan Basin play (2-0 against the league’s 2A teams) and 3-1 overall. Having started the new season on the 27th with a 25-22, 25-19, 25-17 sweep of 3A Montezuma-Cortez at M-CHS, the only blemish on an otherwise-ideal first week was a 20-25, 25-12, 25-14, 19-25, 10-15 loss two days later at non-league 2A Del Norte.
“I am pleased with where we’re at. I expect a lot out of them, and I know that we’re working hard every single day in the gym,” Seibel said. “But we’re always pushing forward to get better, keeping that ‘growth’ mindset of where we’re not where we’re wanting to be. We’re reaching to expand our volleyball I.Q., expand our players’ utility and that will to fight, will to win.”
The Volleycats will next travel to Lakewood for the Denver Christian Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 7. Results from IHS’ home opener Tuesday, September 3, against Mancos (4-3, 0-0 SJBL, 0-0 2A SJBL) were unavailable at press time.
Ridgway, on the other hand, sank to 0-5 overall (0-2 SJBL, 0-2 2A SJBL) but with ample time to regroup and prepare for Telluride’s September 10 coming.
PRESEASON CHSAANOW.COM CLASS 2A GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL POLL
1. Wiggins, 2.Sedgwick County (Julesburg/Ovid Revere), 3.Colorado Springs Christian, 4.Simla, T-5.Rye & Denver Christian, 7.Burlington, T-8.Greeley Dayspring Christian & Swink, 10.Limon. Others Receiving Votes – Littleton Front Range Christian, Haxtun, Vail Christian (Edwards), Hoehne, Fort Collins Heritage Christian, Fowler, Meeker, Arvada Forge Christian, Mancos, Evergreen Clear Creek, IGNACIO, Dawson School (Lafayette), Calhan, Yuma, Grand Junction Caprock Academy, Holyoke.