After opening with a 1-3 record in matches against La Veta and then at the John Mall Tournament last weekend, the Dolores volleyball team began San Juan Basin League play on Tuesday against Telluride.
The Lady Bears (1-4, 0-1 SJBL) hung tough against the visiting Miners (1-0, 1-0 SJBL) to make for four close games, but Telluride was able to win sets one, three and four to hand Dolores its fourth loss of the young season.
“They definitely fed their outside hitter more consistently than what we saw last week,” Dolores head coach Gina Hollen said of the Miners.
The outside hitter referenced was senior Brianna Brown, who gave Dolores trouble all night at the net, as her height and leaping ability allowed for powerful spikes and momentum stopping blocks.
After dropping the first set 25-23, the Lady Bears clawed back. Early kills by Tatum Majors and Cameron Elder helped Dolores jump out to a 7-2 lead early in the second set, and freshman Jordan Elder and senior Harlie Valdez later blocked Brown at the net to extend the lead to 10-3.
Junior Sierra Schwartz had three spikes and Jordan Elder had consecutive scoring blocks to put the Bears up 22-15. And down the stretch, a spike by Valdez and an ace by senior Alyana Frasier helped push Dolores on to a 25-17 win to knot the series at 1-1.
The Miners responded in the third set by jumping out to an early lead of their own, but kills by Cameron Elder and Abby Jones and aces by Schwartz and Frasier brought the Lady Bears back within two, down 12-10.
Dolores put together another run later – with Tatum Majors serving and sister Josie dropping in multiple kills – to tie the game at 19. But Brown and the Miners were able to hold of the surging Bears to take the set, 25-22.
Finally, with their momentum rising, the Miners looked to put Dolores away in the fourth set. Telluride stretched its lead to as many six early, but the Lady Bears hung around.
“We were down by six points and still able to battle back and play with them,” said Hollen. “Instead of getting down and staying down, we were able to battle back.”
A block by Valdez gave the home gym a jolt of energy, and a serve streak by Josie Majors and kills by Schwartz, Josie Majors and Jordan Elder brought the Bears within reach, trailing 22-19.
The final minutes were a back-and-forth affair. Dolores tied the set at 24 on a kill by Schwartz, and jumped ahead one after Telluride was called for being in the net.
However, errors in the closing sequences did the home team in, and Telluride took the set 27-25 and the match, three games to one.
“The serves in the last game gave them their points,” said Hollen. “So, we need to control the serves and improve our passing. Our passing was a little better over the weekend than it was today.”
The Lady Bears have over a week break before their next contest, when they travel to Ridgway to take on the Demons on Friday, September 9.
