The Durango High School volleyball team didn’t have the best start to its season, but the Demons ended it on a high note with an impressive display of skill in their 3-1 win on senior day against Grand Junction on Saturday.
Serving was on point during the whole match for Durango. Senior Hadyn Neiman was incredible with the serve and the Demons controlled three of the four sets thanks to their composure, play at the net and digging by senior Mia Carozza.
After starting the regular season 1-8 overall, the Demons finished the rest of the season 8-6 to end the 2025 season 9-14 overall and 6-4 in the 4A/5A Southwestern League.
“We served aggressively so they couldn't hit … and then also exploiting their line; we hit line over and over,” Durango head coach Kelley Rifilato said after the Demons 25-14, 19-25, 25-21, 25-10 win over Grand Junction. We tried to push the tempo, but it's tough when they're passing high balls and setting sky-high balls. It's just the complete opposite of who we are. But, we rose to the challenge.”
Durango sophomore Devyn Edwards led the team with 15 kills. Neiman finished her final game as a Demon with 12 kills and led the team with a phenomenal seven aces. Edwards and Neiman each had 16 digs to lead the team.
Grand Junction dropped to 8-14 overall and 1-9 in league play.
It couldn’t have been a much better start in Set 1 for Durango with a 10-1 lead. Grand Junction really struggled to set up quality scoring chances with its digs. When it did, the Tigers hit the ball out a few times. Durango was great around the net with some quality blocks. The Demons also served strongly to make things even more difficult for the Tigers.
Grand Junction only got within four as Edwards and Durango started killing and tooling the ball well. The Tigers’ errors gave Durango a big cushion. An ace by Neiman and a block on the right side by junior Swift Webber and senior Aysia Mathews gave Durango a 22-11 lead. Another block by Mathews gave Durango the 25-14 Set 1 win.
“Don’t try to be the hero tonight,” Rifilato said she told her team. “Try to do your job to help your team and be a good teammate.”
Grand Junction got off to a much better start to Set 2. The Demons had a few hitting errors and the Tigers led 6-4. Grand Junction continued to hold its lead as Durango struggled to put consecutive kills together. The Tigers were digging a lot better in Set 2 and were setting up their hitters for success as they led 13-9.
After trailing 15-10, the Demons put together some quality moments, but couldn’t get the stops against Grand Junction to make the comeback. A hitting error by Neiman gave Grand Junction the 25-19 Set 2 win.
Rifilato said Grand Junction’s slower tempo screwed the Demons up in Set 2.
Durango got off to a much better start and led 7-2 in Set 3. The Demons were much more composed to start and waited for Grand Junction to make a mistake. Durango was getting contributions from everyone on the court.
The Tigers had the response with some strong serving. Back-to-back aces and some miscommunication by Durango led to an 11-11 tie. Neiman then had a strong couple of serves to give the Demons some breathing space. Back-to-back kills by Edwards, one a tip and the other a power shot, gave the Demons a 16-12 lead.
Durango’s level of composure and strong serving allowed the Demons to close out the set. Despite a late rally by Grand Junction, the Demons didn’t lose their cool and a Grand Junction attack landed beyond the back line and Durango took Set 3, 25-21.
The Demons took a 6-2 lead in Set 4 thanks to Edwards’ power. When she gets the contact she wants, she has power most teams can’t handle. Durango maintained its lead as Grand Junction struggled with errors in the middle of the fourth set.
Carozza had some very athletic digs in the back row to keep some points alive. Durango continued to serve strongly and was ready around the net for easy kills. The Demons led 18-10 after a nice tip shot from Edwards and an ace by Neiman. Neiman couldn’t be stopped on serve as she had three consecutive aces before an attack error by Grand Junction closed out the set.
The Demons will lose a four-year varsity player in Neiman and two-year contributors in Mathews and Carozza. Shows will also graduate after taking over the setter position in the middle of the season and helping guide the Demons to a good finish to the season.
Edwards will be a main piece to the team next year with Webber, Brie Finneseth and Olivia Cuellar also returning.
“They're good people,” Rifilato said about this year’s team. “They're never mad that somebody replaced them. The unification of the team is how we got through the season … we never backed down, so I’m proud of them all.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
