Lady Cowboys host district tournament

MEEKER I With the district volleyball tournament this week on their home court, the Lady Cowboys are peaking at the right time.
In what proved to be a good tuneup for Meeker, the Lady Cowboys came through with three wins last week over De Beque, Hayden and Plateau Valley.
“The past week was the final gut check before the postseason started,” said coach Christy Atwood. “We knew that if we didn’t put our whole game together, the district tournament would be difficult for us.”
Meeker started the week with beating De Beque in four games: 26-24, 25-21, 20-25, 25-11.
“Their scrappy play was more of a test of our skills than our girls anticipated,” Atwood said. “We were still tentative after the Vail Mountain game (the previous week), but finally got back on track in the fourth game.”
Next up was Hayden, which was a must-win, Atwood said of the rematch from last season when situations were much different for both teams.
“Ironically, last year at this time we were playing for an outright first place in the league,” Atwood said. “This year in the same match we were playing for seventh and eighth.”
However, “with will and determination,” Atwood said, the Lady Cowboys prevailed: 25-22, 25-7, 15-25, 17-25, 15-8.
“We made very few mistakes in the fifth to get the win,” Atwood said. “Kathryn Doll was outstanding in the match. She played with a passion and drive that I knew was there, and her teammates contributed in their own respective roles.”
At Parents’ Day last Saturday against Plateau Valley, emotions ran high and Meeker won in three games: 25-13, 25-14, 25-17.
“The wins last week helped to hopefully set our momentum for the (district) tournament,” Atwood said.
The Lady Cowboys open against rival Rangely at 9 a.m. Friday in the middle school gym, followed by Paonia at 1:30 p.m. and Soroco at 3 p.m.
“Postseason is my favorite time of the year,” Atwood said. “All the preparation and timing for a team to peak is tested at the district tournament.”