The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Open new gym with match win
It was a feted affair at the official grand opening of the new Mt. Olympus gym on Saturday, September 11 as the Lady Titans volleyball team hosted the Cripple Creek Lady Pioneers.
The Lady Titans suffered a disappointing straight set loss to Sanford the night before and were looking to rebound with a win on their home court.
“We just couldn’t pull anything together against Sanford,” says coach Marla Covey.
Titan fans were packed in the home stands seating area leading a series of cheers throughout the four-set match.
The Lady Pioneers brought an aggressive strategy into Mt. Olympus, looking to play the spoiler of the afternoon with two big hitters working to find seams in the Lady Titans line-up for kills.
But the Lady Titans were tight on defense, with strong blockers including sophomore Sarah Sherman and hard work from the back line.
“Sarah is a presence up front,” says coach Marla Covey.
Junior Toni Brown led the Lady Titans to a quick 5-0 lead in the opening set with solid serving but the Lady Pioneers clawed their way back and the teams were tied 10-10 before Brown sparked a six-point run with a massive kill.
Down 16-10, the Lady Pioneers called a timeout to regroup but the move merely delayed the inevitable as Crested Butte built an eight-point lead coming out of the break and cruised to a 25-17 set win.
The Lady Titans came out firing in the second set to build a 10-4 lead before the Lady Pioneers found their rhythm on offense to start a comeback.
Senior Shannon Holleran capped a big rally with a dink to maintain a slim 13-10 Lady Titans lead but the Lady Pioneers kept coming, paced by a string of big shots from their left side hitter.
Cripple Creek continued to claw back into the set, eventually tying it up 23-23. Crested Butte won one last big rally point before the Lady Pioneers sealed the 26-24 set win with three straight points, including a service ace to tie the match 1-1.
This is when things can get squirrelly on the volleyball court. The night before, the Lady Titans lost a tough first set to Sanford and fell apart to drop the next two sets.
But on Saturday, with a raucous student section of fans spurning the Lady Titans, they rebounded with a dominating effort in the third set.
Senior Karleigh Dean led the assault with a couple of big hits and a service ace and the front line of Holleran, Sherman and junior Sydney Jernigan dominated at the net.
After trading points at the start, the Lady Titans took control of the set to fire off nine straight points and build a 20-8 lead. Brown crushed another kill to put Crested Butte on top 22-9 and Holleran and Sherman shut the door with two big points down the stretch for the 25-11 set win, setting the Lady Titans one set away from a match win.
The Lady Pioneers refused to fold, pulling off a comeback in the fourth set to take a three-point lead, but Holleran’s service tied the set 17-17.
Cripple Creek put one last push in, looking to force a fifth and final set, but the Lady Titans won two big rally points to take the momentum back for the 25-20 set win and take the match 3-1.
“They pulled it together and stepped it up,” says Covey. “Their goal was to win the first match in the new gym.”
The Lady Titans will host a rematch with Sanford this Friday, September 17 in mighty Mt. Olympus. The match starts at 4 p.m. and is the second of only four home matches for the Lady Titans all season. They hit the road on Saturday and then return home next week to host Center on Thursday, September 23 at 4 p.m.
