The Durango High School volleyball team is 4-0 for the first time since 2010.
The Demons hit the road for the first time this season and picked up their third win in straight sets when they dispatched Piedra Vista 25-19, 25-19 and 25-15 Tuesday in Farmington.
“It feels good to get that win. We didn’t play our best so it’s nice to come out and get a win,” Durango head coach Colleen Vogt said. “We always respect PV. They always have great athletes and Ron (Becker) is such a good coach who always has his girls ready to play. We knew we had to be prepared, and it’s nice to win in three again.”
It was Durango’s first win against Piedra Vista (2-2) since 2011, however, the two teams didn’t play in 2012 or 2013.
The Demons (4-0) were brilliant at the service line and got nine aces from sophomore Millie O’Ketter, who Vogt said played a great all-around game, and four aces from Taylor Wolf.
Seniors Ally Snow and Brett Rowland continued their punishing assault on defenses with nine and eight kills, respectively.
Senior setter Brianna Brown finished the night with 27 assists in the three sets.
Durango will be back on the road this weekend for the Cherry Creek tournament on Saturday.
A devastating blow to the Wolverines wasn’t evident Tuesday night in Aztec.
Three days after losing star senior Jade Pascale to what is feared to be a torn anterior cruciate ligament in one of her knees, the Bayfield High School volleyball team (4-2, 1-0 3A Intermountain League) rallied together to win 3-0 (25-16, 25-10, 25-13) against the Tigers of Aztec (3-4).
“We had to kind of go back to the drawing board a bit,” said first-year Bayfield head coach Danica Frost. “If you know anything about our team, losing Jade is not good. We got in the gym Monday and had a good practice. We mixed some things up, and I really think it worked for us tonight.”
Sydney Gabbard, Kylee McCoy and Ashley Mottin all played a strong game at the net Tuesday. McCoy led the team with 11 kills, Gabbard had six and Mottin recorded four.
Courtney Bayles had 20 assists, five aces and four kills for the Wolverines. Mottin also had five aces.
Tymbree Florian and Mavis Edwards were strong in the passing game, helping set up the Wolverines’ attack.
BHS will host a tri-meet Saturday, as IML opponents Monte Vista and Pagosa Springs will visit.
Boys Soccer
Boys SoccerFive goals from Max Wilson led the Demons’ charge at home Tuesday.
The Durango High School soccer team moved to 6-0 with an 8-0 win against Aztec (3-5-2).
“Aztec is not a bad team at all, but we just continue to get better,” DHS head coach Dalon Parker said. “The boys continue to get better and better every time we step on the field.”
Parker said the team is getting used to playing a more attacking style than a year ago, a shift in style sparked by assistant coach David Williams, who studied the state’s elite teams compared to the Demons’ style a year ago. Durango reached the state semifinals last season.
Wilson was unstoppable Tuesday. Elijah Fenton had one goal and one assist, Jack Beattie added one goal and two assists, and Lance Townsend also had a goal and one assist. Another assist was recorded by Ren Beasley.
Up next for Durango is a road showdown at Grand Junction in a tough 5A/4A Southwestern League battle. DHS is 2-0 in league games, and Grand Junction won its league opener Tuesday night in a 5-3 victory at home against Montrose.
“This is a big stretch for us with Junction on Saturday and Montrose next Wednesday,” Parker said.
The Wolverines matched last year’s win total with a shutout Tuesday in Pagosa Springs.
Bayfield improved to 4-2 and 3-2 in the 3A Intermountain League with a 3-0 road win. The Wolverines peppered the Pirates’ goal all match, as Pagosa goalkeeper Paul Farrah made 11 saves. The Pirates fell to 1-4 overall and 1-2 in the IML with the loss.
Tilden Berriman had one goal and one assist for the Wolverines. Shea Marx and Berman Abdallah-Boehm each had one goal, while Armando Lerma had two assists.
Berriman put five shots on goal in the match. Chad Winkler recorded a shutout in goal for the Wolverines with seven saves.
Last season, the Wolverines went 4-6-4 and 3-6-3 in league in head coach Chris Zoltowski’s first season with Bayfield. That came after an 0-12-1 season in 2015.
BHS will be back in action at 4 p.m. Friday at home against Alamosa.
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