After losing two games in a row earlier in the week after an 8-0 start to the season, the Durango High School volleyball team was happy to jump back into league competition Saturday.
The Demons (8-2, 6-0 5A/4A Southwestern League) turned in a dominant performance with a 3-0 victory at Grand Junction. DHS won the three sets by scores of 25-9, 25-9 and 25-14 in an absolute dismantling of the Tigers (0-11, 0-5 SWL).
“The girls were excited to get to play after the two midweek losses,” DHS head coach Kelley Rifilato said. “We really controlled the tempo of the match offensive from beginning to end.”
Paired with the Fruita Monument (7-3, 4-2 SWL) loss of 3-1 to Montrose (7-4, 4-2 SWL) earlier Saturday morning, the Demons clinched the Southwestern League championship with the victory as well. DHS still has to face Grand Junction Central (3-8, 1-5 SWL) on Monday and Fruita Monument at home Friday, but even if Durango was to somehow lose both of those matches, the Demons will own a tiebreaker advantage.
Kyle Rowland led DHS on Saturday with seven kills, while Paige Ammerman and Leah Wolf had six kills each and Mason Rowland had another five.
Leah Wesley had another strong serving game with four of the team’s nine aces. She also had 13 digs, while Mason Rowland and Ammerman each had eight. Mason Rowland led the passing game with 19 assists, while Ammerman also had 12.
Freshmen Sarah Somrak and Aava Dreger also got a chance to play in all three sets, and they recorded four kills each.
The Demons will have a tough final week of the regular season, with the rematch with Bayfield set for Tuesday in Bayfield after DHS fell to the Wolverines 3-1 at home a week earlier.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
