Journal Staff Report

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS -- They’ve taken another step towards obtaining their goal of going to and winning the Class 4A State Volleyball Championship.

The Panthers, now with a sparkling 21-1 record, will advance to the Region D Volleyball Tournament at Pueblo Centennial High School this Saturday, Nov. 6. Montezuma-Cortez, which won the District 7 Tournament title Saturday, Oct. 30, in Steamboat Springs. Joining Cortez and Pueblo Centennial (17-5) will be Pine Creek (19-5), and Widefield (10-13). The top two teams (eight teams total) from the round-robin format will advance to the State Tournament, set Nov. 12-13 at Denver University.

The Region A teams include Dakota Ridge (16-8), Sand Creek (16-8), Broomfield (22-2), and Berthoud (19-4). Region B teams are Mullen (17-4), Fort Morgan (23-0), Lakewood (10-12), and Lewis Palmer (17-7). Region C teams are ThunderRidge (15-7), Fountain/Fort Carson (14-9), Steamboat Springs (20-3), and Rifle (19-5).

At Steamboat Springs, the Panthers ended up playing the Sailors in the District 7 Championship game, winning 15-11, 15-7 to claim the title and a top seed a Regionals.

"By the time the girls had reached that game they were going for it (district title)," MCHS head coach Lindy Mortensen commented Monday morning. "They felt good about their play and they had a lot of confidence. Steamboat had the advantage of seeing us play but we never got to watch them. They (Sailors) knew we had a good team."

In the contest, Lindsay Waggoner twisted an ankle against Grand Junction Central in the semifinals earlier in the afternoon. Waggoner was taped and came out ready to play.

The Panthers beat Central 15-10 and 15-7 in the semifinals.

"The girls stayed in control the whole way. There were a lot of sideouts, but the girls stayed focused," Mortensen added.

The Panthers had some tough matches in pool play early that morning. Cortez defeated Montrose 15-8, 15-12. They outlasted Rifle 15-10, 11-15, 15-7, and easily beat Moffat County 15-2, 15-3.

"The girls were a little nervous against Montrose," she said. "The girls came out ready to play. Montrose gave us all we wanted. We got into trouble but we regained our composure and pulled it out."

The Rifle match was a good one to watch, according to Mortensen.

"There were a lot of sideouts, rallies, blocks, and good overall play by both teams. We played smart, we attacked, and played well on defense. This match was our most difficult one but the girls played together as team," she noted.

The final match against Moffat County was really closer than the score indicated.

"There were some good rallies. The girls stayed in control and were ready to play," Mortensen remarked.