MEEKER | The Meeker Cowboys traveled in force to Limon, Colo., last weekend. A host school rich in athletic tradition, Meeker made the 300-plus mile trip to battle it out in volleyball, football and softball.
The lady Cowboys volleyball team took the first stab at the Limon Badgers on Friday. Winning handily in three sets, “the team played very well this weekend,” said Meeker head coach Greg Cravens, “I was worried how the travel would affect the girls but they played well on the other side of the divide.”
Supported in the stands by the lady Cowboys softball team, the attacking game was on point. With 75 total points earned in the game, 43 came in kills, led by Krissie Luce with 14 and Syndie Main with 11.
At the net the team was solid, but Cravens commented, “I was hoping we would be farther along in the serve receive game then we are now. We struggle against tough serves.” Offensively and defensively the team is “looking good,” said Cravens, “the goal is improve the earned points per set. Last year we were around 14 and this year we want to be 16, hopefully even 17 points per set.” There is room for improvement on the “team defense and handling different situations,” he continued. “ We need to improve knowing the flow of the match and know when to be aggressive and when to just keep the ball alive.” The volleyball team then set their sights on Rocky Ford and began preparing for their Saturday match against the Meloneers.
The lady Cowboys traveled to Rocky Ford Saturday, Sept. 15 and handed the Meloneers a loss in three sets, hoisting their overall record to 30 won sets for the season, and a 100 percent record of 10-0. A second non-conference game of the weekend and second win, the lady Cowboys are on a 10 win streak, the highest in their league. Caliegh Morlan joined Luce and Main with double digit kills during the weekends’ games, progressing on the number of earned points per set.
Cowboy volleyball starts league play for the next few weeks. “(It’s) proving to be one of the tougher leagues,” commented Cravens, “We need to stay focused because we have some good volleyball teams in our league.” The Cowboys host their next three games, beginning with Rangely Thursday, Sept. 20, “We are just looking at the next match and trying to improve on our side of the net,” he said. “It’s always a good match when Rangely comes to town.” Play begins Thursday at 5 p.m. with JV followed by varsity.
By TIFFANY JEHOREK | Special to the Herald Times