One near upset, one tough loss and with that, the Mancos Bluejays volleyball team ended its season in Mancos at the 2A District 3 Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 26.
LOSS TO RIDGWAY
Opening the tournament as heavy underdogs against the 18-3 Ridgway Demons, the Bluejays played some of their best volleyball of the season, falling in four sets, 25-16, 20-25, 25-21, 30-28.
Coming out on fire in the first set, the Bluejays won the match's first point on a solid kill down the left side by junior Taylor Goff.
After subsequently extending the lead to 6-1 on an ace by sophomore Taryn Gordanier, the Bluejays began to falter, eventually falling 25-16 on an ace by Ridgway's Haley Crozier.
Not to be deterred by their first set defeat however, the Bluejays came back with vengeance, putting together a long run after falling behind 10-2 early to secure the second set 25-20.
Keying the Bluejays' second-set victory was the solid play of junior Courtney Colyer, who slammed down multiple hard spikes.
After falling behind 20-14 in the third set, the Bluejays put together a spirited run to pull within four points at 18-22, but Ridgway hung tough, winning the set 25-21 on a nice tip by Kaitlyn Rutherford.
With their backs against the wall in the fourth set, the Bluejays produced some of their most exciting volleyball of the season, pulling ahead 22-20 after a great serve by junior Jessica Willburn.
After numerous back-and-forth points that saw kills by Goff and Gordanier, the Bluejays finally succumbed, losing 30-28 on an ace by Ridgway's Grace Benasutti.
DEFEAT VERSUS TELLURIDE
Hoping to follow up their impressive performance against Ridgway, the Bluejays faced off against the Telluride Miners, losing in four sets.
The loss was especially disappointing considering that Mancos had beaten Telluride twice during the regular season.
With the loss, the Bluejays wrapped up their 2013 campaign with a 5-14 record.
With numerous underclassmen returning next season and the great deal of excitement created by first-year head coach Brittany Lang, the future appears to be bright for the Bluejays' volleyball program.