The Durango High School volleyball team’s middle blockers were all over the front row in Friday night’s three-set sweep of Pagosa Springs, while the Demons also got key contributions from their outside hitters in a 25-16, 25-17 and 25-17 win.
Senior middle blocker Sydney Summers led the Demons with six kills, and she added two assists and two blocks, while fellow middle Grace Caldwell had two kills, one block and a dig.
“I think we were more focused on just having fun rather than beating them because we get more kills,” Summers said. “When we’re focusing on getting to the block, it’s just more fun and we do a lot better. ... The middles don’t really get shouted out a lot, and so for us to have a game like that where we did really well, it was huge for us.”
The Demons (3-1) combined for 25 kills and 10 service aces in the win. It was the first match of the season for DHS that did not last all five sets. A quick offense and gritty defensive effort played a key role in keeping the match to three.
“I thought we just came out and played our game. As long as we controlled our side of the net, we felt like we could win,” said DHS head coach Colleen Vogt. “We controlled our passing, serving and we eliminated a lot of hitting errors tonight, so it was fun to watch.”
In her first game back from an ankle injury she picked up in the first match of the season, senior Millie O’Ketter recorded five kills, nine digs, two service aces and an assist.
“I was just really excited to be back on the court with my teammates,” O’Ketter said. “We had a really good practice coming into this game, so we knew we were going to do well, which was exciting to see. I think I was expecting that I’d pick back up right where I left off, and I’m realizing it’ll take a lot of work to get back, but I’m ready.”
In the first set, Durango had a narrow two-point lead at 13-11 before a service ace from Paige Ammerman helped the Demons start to pull away. They won seven out of the next nine points to take a 20-14 lead. The Demons won the set with a block from Summers.
In the second set, the Pirates (1-5) were paced by setter Teagan Stretton, who helped streamline the offense with a few key digs, assists and even kills to keep the Pirates on the front foot. Durango took the lead for good on another service ace from Ammerman to make it 18-17, and the Demons scored the final seven points to take the set.
Pagosa Springs head coach Caitlin Forrest thought her team matched up well with the Demons but said they didn’t have enough in the tank to keep up the momentum.
“I was proud of the way we started, and I felt like the further along the game went, the more energy we lost, and we lost points that way,” Forrest said. “We matched up really well at the beginning, and we were reading the plays and anticipating really well. We just fell apart at the end.”
In the final set, the Pirates had five hitting errors in the first 12 point, and DHS was able to capitalize, as it got out to a 10-3 lead. The Demons went on a 7-3 run to make it 17-6, but the Pirates weren’t quite done yet. Pagosa outscored the Demons 6-4 in the final 10 points to make it relatively close at 24-17, but a kill from Summers ended the match.
Leah Wesley and Ammerman recorded three aces each, while Emmy Romero led the team in assists with 12. DHS committed nine service errors. Stretton and Brighid Parken had five kills each for Pagosa, while Stretton led the team in assists with 10.
The Demons will host Piedra Vista (1-4) at 6 p.m. Tuesday at DHS. Durango beat the Panthers in a five-set match Tuesday night in Farmington after going down 2-0 early.
bploen@durangoherald.com
