MCHS defends SWL volleyball title

MCHS defends SWL volleyball title

Oct. 24, 2000

BY JIM THOMAS
Journal Sports Editor

For the second straight year, the Class 4A no. 2 ranked Montezuma-Cortez High School varsity volleyball team has won the Southwest League title. The Panthers successfully defended their crown with an undefeated league record of 10-0. What’s even more impressive is that league matches went no more than two games.

The Panthers will travel to Glenwood Springs for the District Volleyball Tournament. They will be the top seed in Pool B. The final pool seedings were to be made today, Oct. 24. They needed to finish first or second in pool play to be cross-bracketed against the top two teams from Pool A. The semifinals will be then be held with the loser being eliminated and the winner automatically advancing to finals and more importantly a berth at Regionals. The finals will determine seeding but more importantly it will determine a host site. So should the Panthers win Districts they would host Regionals Nov. 4 at Ron Wright Memorial Gym.

Cortez defeated Central of Grand Junction Saturday morning, Oct. 21, by 15-4, 16-14 scores. The Panthers stopped Grand Junction High 15-8, 15-11 Friday night, Oct. 20. Those were the final regular-season games of the season.

On Friday night, the Panthers did not play their best of matches but still good enough to win.

"it wasn’t pretty," MCHS head coach Lindy Mortensen commented following the game. "I don’t know if we were looking ahead (to Districts) but we certainly didn’t come ready to play. I’ve told them over and over that you have to respect your opponent and be ready to play. Everyone is gunning for us right now."

Grand Junction moved out to a quick 0-3 lead in the first game before the Panthers could get on the board. Cortez scored and then the Tigers scored and then Cortez made two points in a row, the second of those off a nice kill by Denise Newlin. The Panthers pulled ahead 6-4, thanks to the serving of Liz Dennison. One of those went for an ace. But Junction tied it 7-7. Cortez scored the next four straight points and GJHS called time out. The Tigers responded with a point and then Cortez polished them off by scoring the next four in a row. Dennison was serving again and made a nice ace to the end line.

In the second game, the Panthers pulled out front 7-2 behind the serving of Newlin and the heads-up play by Casey Bauer and Stefanie Allison. A carry and out-of-rotation call pulled Junction to 4-7. Kills by Bauer and Allison gave the Panthers a 9-4 lead. But a kill by Melissa Jessup and block by Jessup and Leah Jappe made it 7-9. Cortez called time. The Panthers scored a point but Junction followed with two more. The Panthers went up 12-9. The Tigers came back and made it close at 12-11. A kill by Allison, a kill by Colette Hall and a couple mistakes by the Tigers gave the game, match and title to Cortez.

With the title in their pocket, they hosted Central Saturday morning.

"We came to play that first game," Mortensen reported. "Everything seemed to go our way. The kids did a good job."

The second game was very exciting, she said. "There were lots of rallies and several lead changes."

Cortez led 10-7. Central pulled ahead at 10-11. Cortez had match point at 14-13 but Central tied the game. Cortez then scored the final two for the win.

Emilie Lanier had another steady match setting with 30 assists. Allison had 11 digs and Newlin 13. Allison made 16 kills, Bauer 11, and Newlin 5.

In Class 2A, Nucla hosts Dolores County in the District Pigtail game at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25. The winner of that game will advance as the no. 4 seed to Saturday’s District Tournament. Telluride, which won the regular-season San Juan Basin League crown, is the top seed. Dolores is the no. 2 seed while Mancos takes the no. 3 spot.