By Mike Weaver

NORWOOD--The prep volleyball season continues for the two Class 2A teams from Montezuma County.

Dolores and Mancos clearly were at the top of the heap at the District 3 Volleyball Tournament here on Saturday, Oct. 30. The Blue Jays, now at 17-5, and the 21-2 Bears finished up one, two after a day of pool play and will represent the San Juan League at the Region C Volleyball Tournament this Saturday, Nov. 6, at Palisade High School. Telluride and Norwood wrapped up their seasons after finishing Districts in third and fourth place.

Action at Palisade will begin at 9 a.m. when Dolores takes on 20-1 Grand Valley of Parachute. At about 10:15, Mancos will meet 14-7 West Grand of Kremmling. Following a match up of Grand Valley versus West Grand at about 11:30, the Blue Jays and Bears will face off at about 12:45 p.m. At about 2, the Bears will have a go at West Grand; and the Blue Jays will hit the court against West Grand at about 3:15.

The top two teams after Region C play will make the A-list for the State Volleyball Tournament Nov. 12-13 at the University of Denver.

There were some surprises in store at the Dist. 3 get together, not the least of which was the 15-12, 15-10 Blue Jays’ upset win over Dolores in the final match that gave them the district championship. It was a reversal in a league rivalry which the Bears had dominated during the regular season. Telluride and Norwood also stepped play up a notch, and the battle for the top spot was never a foregone conclusion.

Dolores, with the San Juan League championship under its belt, was assured a spot at Regional. The pool play battle was to determine who would take the other slot.

Mancos handily swept Telluride 15-4, 15-13 to begin the day, but the Jays had to struggle against Norwood before taking a 16-14, 13-15, 15-4 win that clinched a Regional berth and set the stage for the District championship match against the Bears.

Meanwhile Dolores put a couple of lopsided wins away, beginning with a 15-6, 15-0 blowout of Norwood and a 15-5, 15-12 win over Telluride. Bragging rights between traditional rivals as well as district crown were on the line when the Bears and Blue Jays met to close out the tourney.

With tickets to Regional in their respective bags, the pressure was off both teams when they met. What was a plus for the Blue Jays was a minus for the Bears who had taken two wins in earlier meetings. Mancos coach Bill Tourjee was pleased with the outcome of the match if not very surprised.

"We played these guys tough (during the regular season) and we knew we had a shot," Tourjee said. We knew we were as good as they were. There was no pressure and we let it hang out and played a great match.

"We have a lot of potential. We’ve made mistakes and gotten better. I knew our kids could do it. I’m glad they got it done. I’m proud of them."

The loss to Mancos may have been a blessing in disguise for the Bears and coach Joye McHenry who breezed through regular season play with only one loss.

"Nothing could have better for us at this point than a loss," she said. "We needed it because it gets to the point where things get too easy and you don’t have to fight anymore. You have to remember how to fight, so this was the best thing to happen to us."

Both teams pawed at each other in the first game, and after a full rotation of servers, Mancos led 2-1. The score was tied at 2 after Mancos four-hit the ball, and a defensive struggle continued. Mancos trailed 4-6 but took the lead with a five point run, Katie Paxton scoring on a kill and Desirae Bazile serving an ace.

The Bears’ Erin Chanay served an ace, but the Jays moved to the brink with five more tallies to make the score 14-7. Three sideouts yielded no points for the Blue Jays, but Dolores got a run of its own going and cut the Mancos lead to 14-12. With Randee Reider behind the line, Mancos went over the top on an outbounded ball by Dolores.

Mancos took the edge in the battle at the net in game two, and Dolores was always a step behind on the scoreboard. Behind the combined serving of Jenelle Burkhart and Paxton, the Jays jumped out to a 5-0 lead.

Dolores finally got on the scoreboard when Hanson tipped a dink over. With Ruthie Martin at the line, the Bears were good for two more, but they trailed 5-3. Mancos took a 7-5 lead with a Paxton kill, and the Bears answered with a point.

The game and match got out of the Bear’s hands after Mancos went five straight behind Paxton’s serving. After Hanson and Martin racked up kills, the score stood at 12-10. Two more point came to the Blue Jays with Keller at the serving line. Good defensive play at the net prevented either team from scoring until the Bears outbounded the ball to give Mancos point 15.

In earlier action, Dolores completely overpowered Telluride in its first match of the tournament to the tune of 15-4, 15-0. In the second game against the Miners, the Bears put up 15 straight points, Rhodes the only player getting a to the serving line for either team. The Bears were had a similar romp in the first game.

In its match against Norwood, Dolores handily breezed to the victory, winning in two straight.

Mancos had to overcome the doldrums in its win against Norwood. The Blue Jays stuttered in the first game and trailed 0-5 after the Mavericks’s serving came to life. After trailing 2-9, Mancos put a run of four together, but Norwood capped a long volley with its tenth point on an outbounded ball. The Jays closed the gap to 9-10 when Burkhart hit back-to-back aces. An ace by Paxton tied the score at 10-10.

It was stride for stride when both team hit for three points. Mancos was down 13-14 after a grounded ball, and went ahead 15-13 behind Russell’s serving. The deciding point came when the Mavericks were called for an illegal hit.