One could have said that too much Ridgway-especially this season-would be a bad thing.
But after having faced the Lady Demons for a fourth time, and losing for a third to get the 2A-Region G Tournament underway at RHS on Saturday, Nov. 7, Ignacio redoubled their collective effort in hopes of getting a fifth try at the girls in green later that afternoon with a trip to the 2015 state championships at stake.
In the Volleycats' way, however, was Paonia. And unfortunately the Eagles refused to let IHS get much closer than their 25-20 loss in Game 3 versus Ridgway, sweeping Ignacio 25-21, 25-20, 25-21 and halting IHS' exciting ride one weekend short of the Denver Coliseum.
Later victorious-by scores of 25-15, 25-13, 27-29, 25-21-over Ridgway in the event's championship, Paonia left Ouray County having improved to 21-4 overall. Ridgway dipped to 22-2 and the 'Cats to a finalized 15-9 after having also lost 25-18, 25-16, 25-20 to their 2A/1A San Juan Basin League rivals.
Against the Volleycats, the Demons got a 19-kill, 12-dig double-double from senior star Kaitlyn Rutherford, and a 9-kill, 16-dig near-miss from junior Saren Robinson. Senior Brynne Skalla had seven kills and four digs, and junior setter Ara Norwood an impressive 41 assists and six digs.
Seniors Miel Diaz and Ellie Seibel each had five kills versus RHS, as did junior Kelly Campbell, while Diaz added four service aces and 10 digs. Campbell, Seibel and junior Sheigh Pollock were each in on four total blocks, while sophomore Shoshone Thompson totaled a cool five (1 solo, 4 assisted) to go with 15 set assists.
Diaz's six kills and Seibel's five led the way against PHS as Thompson managed just 11 assists, but the 'Cats stayed in contention through defense. Seibel totaled six (2s, 4a) blocks and Campbell (3s, 2a) and Thompson (2s, 3a) each had five, but Pollock's patrolling-five solos, six assisted-was as predatory as it was preventing.
Diaz again had a 10-dig match, Seibel came up with six and Thompson and junior Alex Forsythe five each.
Runners-up at the 2A-District 5 Tournament a week prior to traveling to Ridgway, Paonia drew the #4 seed in this weekend's state championships' initial pool-play Round of 12.
D-3 winners Ridgway (Ignacio had placed third, with the tourney held at Dolores) received a wild-card nod and a surprising 8-seed, joining #1 Loveland Resurrection Christian, #2 Yuma, #3 Lyons, 5-seed Greeley Union Colony, 6-seed Limon, #7 Cedaredge, #9 Rye, #10 Colorado Springs School, #11 Kiowa, and 12-seed Fowler.
