The Ignacio High School volleyball team traveled to Telluride on Saturday for a San Juan Basin League match, and the Bobcats returned home victorious by beating the Miners 3-1.

The match was in favor of Ignacio (12-4, 9-1 SJBL) all day, as Telluride (6-10, 4-5 SJBL) couldn’t keep up with the Bobcats. Ignacio won 25-14, 21-25, 25-20 and 25-10.

The Bobcats started strong in the first set and didn’t let go of the momentum all match. Even when the Bobcats lost the second set, it was mainly because of serving errors, which the Bobcats soon recovered from in the following set.

“They played very good; they had a calm and steady mode of energy,” Ignacio head coach Thaddeus Cano said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “They were able to let go of the mistakes, which I’m very proud of them for that.”

Senior Ellie Seibel led Ignacio with 11 kills, and junior Alex Forsythe ended the game with nine service aces.

Senior Chrystianne Valdez finished the game with 11 digs, and sophomore Shoshone Thompson had five kills.

“Shoshone was really on point – she knew where to be all game,” Cano said.

The head coach added that having Thompson back in the lineup after losing her because of concussion protocol has made a huge difference.

Up next for Ignacio are home games Thursday against Dolores, Norwood on Saturday and Pagosa Springs on Oct. 27 before focusing attention on the postseason.

For postseason play, Cano said he already has his squad working on out-of-system hitting, which is a style of play that allows teams to hit the ball high while a hitter has a clear shot at the ball.

“I’m very, very pleased with where the team is going,” Cano said. “The entire team is looking for the postseason. They can’t wait to beat Ridgway again.”

jmentzer@durangoherald.com