Lady Cowboys advance to regional tourney

MEEKER I The Meeker High School volleyball team played well in the district tournament, advancing them to the regional playoffs next week in Ridgeway.
The lady Cowboys came out of the tournament in second place, beating a tough West Grand team and the underdog Hotchkiss Bulldogs, a team that had to knock off the No. 3 seed to get into the tournament.
Meeker came out playing strong to get their tournament started. Coach Christy Atwood said, “We played a great first match, easily executing our plans for the match.”
Meeker beat the Bulldogs, preparing them for their second match against the Mustangs from Kremmling.
Atwood said, “The second match of the day was up and down for us. We had been able to watch their match against Paonia, which was closer than the score indicated. We were able to just keep scrapping away.
“They had great defense and it was hard to put the ball away to get points or even put small runs together” she said. “In the end, we were able to remain disciplined in our execution and won easily in the fifth set.”
The win set up the district championship match featuring the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds entering the tournament.
Meeker had the opportunity to watch Paonia all day, and Atwood said, “Our team was excited to have a shot at them on their home court.”
The match went back and forth, with the lead changing and no team really taking control early. Ultimately, serving errors and some misdirection led to the Meeker loss, but Atwood said, “It is a great feeling after the bitterness of a loss has subsided to be approached by parents and fans from the opposing team to congratulate your team on a hard fought battle.”
Coach Atwood was very proud of the fact that her team was complimented for the class they showed on the court as well. The team looks forward to an exciting weekend and a chance to advance to the state tournament Nov. 8-9.
Meeker will play Telluride first, followed by a match against Ridgeway, with the the championship team advancing to the state tournament.