CBCS volleyball rises to victory over league opponents

Historic win over Sanford

After proving they can play above lesser teams, the Titans volleyball team faced their next test against Sanford to see if they could play up to stronger opponents.

In the end, the Titans aced it as they battled Sanford through four sets to emerge victorious on Thursday, September 19. It was the first time since the teams started playing each other that Crested Butte took down Sanford.
“It was an exciting homecoming win for the team and the program, having never beaten Sanford since moving up to 2A five years ago,” says coach Marla Covey. “In the past four years we’ve worked to build more strength mentally and physically to compete with 2A teams.”
To prepare for the big match Covey and her coaching staff focused on hitting against blockers as well as working with setters, juniors Courtney Kopf and Brittany Barefield, to provide more consistent sets to our hitters. The work paid off as Covey saw the Titans came out of their defense with numerous quality sets for the hitters.
The Titans won the first set 25-17 but Sanford recovered in the second set to give Crested Butte a run. The teams battled back and forth until Crested Butte emerged with the 33-31 win.
With Sanford gaining steam, the onus was on the Titans to hold them off and finish them in the third set. Sanford bought some time, winning the third set 25-22 but the Titans returned the favor, winning the fourth set 25-20 to take the match.
Senior Suzanna Dumas led the team with 12 kills and seven errors followed closely by senior Monika Olesen with 11 kills. Senior captain Ali McGuire had 10 kills and served three aces and senior defensive specialist Rosie Ewert led the team with four aces and 20 defensive digs.
With the big win and a frantic seven weeks of volleyball behind them, the Titans took a day off from workouts on Friday before they returned to mighty Mt. Olympus to face the Cripple Creek Pioneers on Saturday, September 21.
There was a lot working against the Titans that morning. Not only was the team coming off a big win and a day off, but also the homecoming dance was the night before. Furthermore, Crested Butte faced Cripple Creek earlier this season and handled them rather easily so it was to be expected that they would come out flat.
“We knew we could beat the Pioneers but we were worried we would suffer too big a mental and physical let-down after the big win and homecoming the night before,” says Covey.
Suffice to say, they did come out flat as poor serving and an overall lackluster performance had the Titans down early in the first set. Fortunately, Cripple Creek was prone to errors of their own and the Titans managed to eke out a 25-20 win.
The Titans picked up their effort for the second set but still suffered from poor service and sluggish feet. Senior Marissa Osmundson provided a boost early in the set with a huge dig to deny the Pioneers’ big hitter but continued mental lapses by the Titans kept Cripple Creek in the set until Covey called a timeout with the teams locked in a 13-13 tie.
Covey took the time to bring her Titans squad out of their fog as they outscored the Pioneers 12-4 down the stretch to seal the 25-17 win.
Senior Suzanna Dumas led it off with a soft kill and a block, senior Miki Olesen added in a crafty tip and then Ewert finished it off, serving the final five points including a service ace.
The Titans carried their new energy into the third set with big plays coming from junior Ariel Kilpatrick, continued effort from Osmundson and a 10-point service rally from Ewert to finish the Pioneers off 25-5, winning the match in straight sets.
“The win against Cripple Creek was not as exciting but the team worked together to win the match,” says Covey.
The Titans will hit the road on Saturday, September 28 to Sierra Grande (Blanco) for a tri-match against Del Norte and Sierra Grande and look to keep their momentum in league play.
“Historically, Del Norte has a strong program and always field a very competitive team,” says Covey. “The Titans are hungry for the rematch against the Sierra Grande Panthers. Last season, the Panthers ended the Titans’ season in District playoffs in a five set battle.”