After taking the No. 7 ranked Pagosa Springs Pirates to five sets in a loss last Tuesday, the Montezuma-Cortez volleyball team built some confidence heading into its games over the weekend.
“That was a good momentum shift for our girls,” said head coach Dave Robinson. “Realizing that they can play with people no matter how ranked they are.”
M-CHS rolled its momentum into the weekend to beat Grand Junction Central at home on Friday and sweep Monte Vista in an away contest on Saturday.
“They came together more out on the court in those two games than we’ve seen all year,” Robinson said. “As far as leadership, girls encouraging each other and believing in each other, that was a huge part of it.
The Lady Panthers took the first set against the visiting Warriors on Friday, 25-20, but then they dropped consecutive games 25-20 and 25-14 to fall behind in the match 2-1.
However, Robinson got his team to regroup, and the Panthers took game four 25-22 and won the deciding fifth set 15-12 to take the match.
After finishing up their contest against Grand Junction Central around 9 p.m. on Friday, the Lady Panthers hopped on the bus at 6 a.m. Saturday morning to go take on Monte Vista.
The Lady Panthers may have been physically exhausted, but riding the emotional high following their win over Grand Junction Central, they were able to stay focused and swept the Pirates, 25-19, 25-22, 25-17.
M-CHS (4-8, 1-3 Intermountain League) plays at Monticello on Thursday before heading to La Jara on Saturday for a league tri-meet with Centauri and Alamosa.