CB Titans volleyball falls to Sanford as season nears end

Close out season Saturday in Gunnison

[ by Than Acuff ]

After a season of rotations constantly in flux due to injuries and absences, Crested Butte Titans volleyball coach Cierra Abbott finally had solid numbers for workouts last week as they prepared for the last two weeks of the season. As a result, Abbott switched things around one last time and actually had time to work on the new rotation in practices.
“We worked hard in practice on different strategies and working out of our new rotation,” says Abbott.

The new line-up got a serious test on Friday, October 22 when they headed to Sanford who are sitting in third place in the league and bring some height to the floor.

The Titans fell in the first set as they continued to get comfortable with their new plan but things started to gel in the second set as they pushed Sanford more than Sanford probably expected. With Annie Collins and Olivia Reamer in the middle, the two helped dictate the pace of the match.

“Annie and Olivia did a great job in the middle slowing down the ball and getting positive touches,” says Abbott. “Switching Hayes (Freeman) from the middle to the outside helped also.”

The Titans’ effort in the second set gave Sanford some trouble but Sanford did eventually pull out a 25-23 win in the second set.

“Our serving was really aggressive in the second set to put them on their heels,” says Abbott. “Our consistency was there and we rallied longer, Sanford’s just a tough team.”

The Titans started well in the third set as well but points got away from them and Sanford steadily pulled away to win the third set and the match.

“We would start strong in the first and third sets but we’d only get two or three points with the ball and Sanford would get three or four points with the ball,” explains Abbott. ”It’s hard to get out of that pattern.“

The Titans finish out their season this week when they head to Gunnison for a tournament on Saturday, October 30. They start things off against Nucla at 11 a.m. in the Gunnison High School gym.

“There are going to be some great programs there so I’m excited for that,” says Abbott. “We always play well in Gunnison. It feels like home court to us.”