Durango head coach Kelley Riffilato put together a brutal schedule for her team to get them ready for the playoffs.
However, the Demons’ season ended before they had a chance at true postseason action, falling to Palisade in straight sets in Saturday’s regional tournament.
After Durango’s two regional matches against Falcon and Palisade, its season ended with a 15-10 record. The Demons lost five of their last six matches of the season, with all five of those losses coming against some of the top teams in Colorado. Palisade moved on to the state playoffs with a 20-5 record.
In the Demons’ first match in the regional tournament, the Demons swept Falcon (25-12, 25-8, 25-21). Senior middle backer Sarah Somrak led Durango with seven kills, while senior outside hitter Aava Dreger had six kills.
The Demons did well serving the ball against Falcon, landing 16 aces. Four Durango players had at least three aces.
Palisade’s Sabrina Landman had 16 kills and four aces against Durango. Addie Ritterbrush finished with eight kills for Palisade.
Sophomore outside hitter Hadyn Neiman led the Demons with seven kills against Palisade, while Somrak and Dreger each had six kills. Five different Durango players had an ace against Palisade. The Demons had just two blocks in the match. Junior setter Eva Stewart led Durango with 25 assists.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
