Barone volleyball team downs Rangely squad in ’09 season’s final match

RANGELY I In a rematch between county rivals Meeker and Rangely, Barone Middle School’s eighth-grade team prevailed in a junior high volleyball tournament here last Saturday.
Meeker’s Barone Middle School seventh-graders also finished first.
The Barone eighth-graders defeated Craig in two games before taking on host team Rangely. The two teams met the week before during the regular season.
“We got down by six points and Torie Gerloff came in and served incredibly,”
Said BMS coach Jamie Rogers. “Taylor Morris served the last point and rocketed the ball over to get an ace and finish the game.”
In the second game, Meeker won again.
“Deena Norell and Taylor Neilson both were strong hitters,” Rogers said. “Shelby Burke passed very well. Piper Haney was our setter and floor general. Aly Ridings served strong and attacked well from the back row. And Anna Ducey filled the hole in the middle.”
Rogers also noted the contributions of the other members of the team: Kellie Crawford, Dannon Bolton, Liz Fellows, Jordan Smith and Mariah Jensen.
“Each sub came in off the bench and did her job,” Rogers said.
Even though the Lady Panthers finished second, Rangely coach Courtney Kent was happy with her team’s season.
“I think it was an overall success,” Kent said. “The girls improved and they really came together as a team. I think they will do great in the future.”
In seventh-grade tournament action, Meeker first won against Steamboat Springs on its way to beating Craig in the championship match.
And they had to rally to do it.
“Against Craig, we lost the first game by two. The girls were a little down and out,” said BMS seventh-grade coach Ivy Abshire. “During the second game, we were trailing by about eight and by the looks on the girls’ faces, you would have thought we had lost. I called for a timeout for a little pick-me-up and gave the girls a pep talk. Then we came back … one point at a time.
“The score was 24-23, Craig, and they served and we passed a bad ball. I thought, oh, no. And out of nowhere, Jamie McLaughlin saves the ball and it goes down on Craig’s side. We serve two in a row for the win, 26-24. It was super exciting and intense.”
After rallying in the second set, Meeker’s Sydney Hughes served nine straight points to start the game. The Lady Cowboys went on to win.
“I couldn’t be more proud of each and every girl on our team,” Abshire said.