Good effort isn’t enough

MEEKER I The Lady Cowboys played well. Just not quite well enough to win.
“This was the best collective effort we have had this season,” Meeker volleyball coach Christy Atwood said of last Friday’s rivalry match against Rangely. “If we can continue to eliminate errors, the karma is going to swing. Unforced errors have been our nemesis all season.”
Still, the games against Rangely were close, except the first set, which Meeker lost, 16-25.
The Lady Cowboys also lost the second set, 22-25, before claiming the third, 25-22. Rangely won the fourth and final set, 25-20.
“Missed serves killed us,” Atwood said. “We missed key serves during momentum swings, which kept us defending instead of attacking.”
But Atwood liked the way her team held its composure against Rangely.
“The girls were able to make the necessary adjustments without the deer-in-the-headlights look, which means we are gaining experience. Something a coach always loves to see,” Atwood said.
The situation was different Saturday, when the Lady Cowboys were out of sync against Vail Mountain, losing 19-25, 11-25, 14-25.
“Serving killed us again,” Atwood said. “We served well below our team goal of 90 percent. The match itself was uncomfortable. We just couldn’t get one part of our game to rise to the top. It was a learning experience for our team. The kids realized we are going to have to work harder.”
Following Tuesday’s match with De Beque, the Lady Cowboys travel to Hayden on Friday, and then close out the regular season at home Saturday against Plateau Valley on Parents Day, with games at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m.