The new Montezuma-Cortez high school gymnasium and auxiliary gym both got their first taste of regular season action during Tuesday’s volleyball match against Bayfield.
The Panthers’ junior varsity and C-team began the evening, with the junior varsity in the main gym and C-team in the auxiliary gym.
The C-Team won its first two games, 25-22 and 25-10 before dropping the third game 25-22.
The junior varsity team also took two-of-three against Bayfield. After winning the first game 25-20 and losing the second 25-10, the Panthers closed out the set. Trailing 23-18 in the final game, the Panthers mounted a comeback, and Haley Vallejos cemented the 26-24 win with a spike for the team’s final point.
The varsity team stumbled out of the gate, losing the opening game 25-21, but responded by winning the second game by an 11-point margin, 25-14. Bayfield ended the best-of-five series by taking two consecutive games, 25-18 and 25-21.
Even with the varsity loss, head coach Andi Pickens was pleased with her team’s performance, especially for early in the season with players out.
“I think they did really well,” Pickens said. “Pretty much everyone played positions they haven’t played before, so I thought everyone played well.”
The Panthers next competition is at the Glenwood Tournament this weekend, with pool play on Friday and bracket play to begin Saturday.