<\/p>\n
At times this season, the Dolores High School volleyball team has played well. According to head coach Gina Hollen however, the Bears are still searching for consistency.<\/p>\n
Bears defeat Monument Valley<\/p>\n
Showing how good they can be on Sept. 11, the Bears shined throughout a road matchup against Monument Valley, winning 25-22, 25-21, 25-23.<\/p>\n
The win was impressive in light of the fact that one week before, the Bears squeaked by Monument Valley in five sets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like we played well against (Monument Valley),\u201d said Hollen. \u201cWe did a good job of communicating and working together as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bears fall to Mancos<\/p>\n
Looking to continue its solid play against Mancos on Sept. 16, the Bears struggled, losing 25-20, 25-17, 21-25, 25-18.<\/p>\n
Key in the Bears loss were several defensive breakdowns early in the match that allowed Mancos to win the first two sets.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust too many mistakes on our part,\u201d said Hollen. \u201cWe weren\u2019t covering our defense.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Hollen tweaked her lineup before the start of the third set, and the Bears kept things close before pulling ahead 15-13 on an ace by Bailey Boyd.<\/p>\n
Consecutive spikes by Courtney Blackmer extended the Dolores lead to 17-13, but a 5-1 5-1 run by Mancos allowed the Bluejays to tie the set, 18-18.<\/p>\n
After several Mancos hitting errors, two kills by Taylor Elder and a hard cross-court spike by Blackmer, the Bears pulled away, winning the set 25-21.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe difference (in the third set) was that we actually played together as a team and minimized our mistakes,\u201d said the Bears\u2019 Kelly Charles.<\/p>\n
The Bears cohesiveness disappeared in the fourth set however, as Mancos jumped out to a 5-1 lead.<\/p>\n
Although Dolores eventually cut the Mancos lead to 15-14 after a block by Elder and a spike down the line by Blackmer, the Bluejays eventually pulled away in route to a 25-18 set victory.<\/p>\n
Discussing her team\u2019s play after the match, Dolores setter Larissa Umberger emphasized that at this point in the season, the Bears are a work in progress.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of raw talent,\u201d said Umberger. \u201cWe just need to learn to develop it, work together with it and find our strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now 3-2 on the season, the Bears will next play at home against Norwood on Sept. 18 and Ridgway on Sept. 20.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely important to have the home crowd,\u201d said Charles, discussing the Bears upcoming matchups. \u201cIt warms our hearts to have everyone there to support us and it feels great when the home crowd goes wild.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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