Last spring, with new coach Kelley Rifilato at the helm, the Durango High School volleyball team captured its first league title since 2011.
The Demons lost six seniors from that team but will return some key players. Fifty-four girls are battling for spots on the court.
“It’s going to take some getting used to, but I’m excited for it,” said junior Mason Rowland. “Once we get used to each other, I think we’ll be a good team.”
“I’m looking forward to all of it,” junior Leah Wolf said. “We’re all lowerclassmen ,so we all know each other pretty well, but we have a brand-new team, so we’ll build up from it.”
Rowland and Wolf led the team in kills last season, with 138 and 106.
The team went 10-3 and 7-1in the 5A/4A Southwestern League and earned a No. 9 seed for the regional championships.
“I’d never won a league title in an high school sport, so it’s good to know we have a program that can do it,” Rowland said. “I think we can do it again if we have the motivation, and I think we do.”
“(Coach Rifilato) inspired more of us and was super committed,” Wolf said. “She was doing anything she could to help.”
“She is really competitive,” Rowland said. “It’s nice to have a coach whose dedicated to you.”
Unfortunately for last year’s squad, COVID hit the Demons right before regionals. Instead of practicing the week before the playoffs, the team had to go into quarantine and eventually had to compete without a few of its players and failed to advance to state.
“COVID hit us really hard at the end of the season at the worse possible time,” Rifilato said.
While COVID forced the team to practice outside at times last year, construction delays moved the team’s first practices this year to Miller Middle School.
The floor at the high school’s main gym is being refinished. The floor was supposed to be finished in mid-July, but some delays occurred, DHS athletic director Ryan Knorr said. The team hopes to return to its home gym Monday.
“The new floors are already beautiful,” Rifilato said, but added that having all the girls at Miller somewhat limited what they could do since the team is so big. Thursday was the first time the team was able to practice serving.
“It’s definitely a good way for the kids to get to know each other in a tight space,” the coach said.
The team, however, did compete in multiple events over the summer, helping them prepare for the upcoming season.
“Different kids got opportunities to play at a high, fast-paced varsity level,” Rifilato said.
While the team has a lot of new faces, the coach said it’s “a great group.”
“They’ve all bought in, they all believe, and they’re all willing to do what’s asked of them,” Rifilato said. “We’re new and way different than in the past, but in a good way,” the coach said. “We’re super-athletic.”
The girls also seemed glad to have the volleyball season return to the fall.
“It makes me excited to get back to school because I get to play volleyball too,” said junior Leah Wolf.
The team will begin its season Thursday at Pagosa Springs. Its first home match is scheduled for Aug. 25 against Farmington, while league play will begin Sept. 10 at Grand Junction Central for the Demons.
