RANGELY | The Rangely High School volleyball team went on the road for the first time this season, falling to Caprock Academy on Friday, Sept. 5, before taking North Fork to five sets on Saturday, Sept. 6.
Against Caprock, freshman No. 4 Teagan Behunin and senior No. 7 Addison Scott led the Panthers at the net, each finishing with eight kills. Behunin posted a team-high .400 hitting percentage, while Scott hit .333 and added two blocks.
From the service line, Behunin recorded four aces and seven total points, matched by Scott’s seven points. Senior No. 6 Kaelyn Geer was a perfect 7-for-7 serving with two aces.
Sophomore No. 10 Rylee Kenney paced the offense with 14 assists, while sophomore No. 11 Isabella Cox added nine. On defense, Geer anchored the back row with 12 digs, followed by Behunin and sophomore No. 14 Natalie Bollinger with six apiece.
The Panthers lost the first set 25-13, won the second 25-18, and dropped the next two by scores of 25-15 and 25-14 in a 3-1 defeat.
“We really worked well together as a team. We had a very off night but still had good things happen,” head coach Angie Hill said.
Despite falling behind in points, Hill noted the players’ resilience. “The girls’ attitudes and effort stayed positive. They didn’t just roll over and give up,” she said. “Our growth mentally has improved so much over the last few weeks.”
On Saturday, the Panthers traveled to Hotchkiss to face North Fork. Rangely battled to five sets before falling 3-2.
Senior No. 13 Aubrianna Tapia led the Panthers with nine kills and a .250 hitting percentage. Scott followed with eight kills and five blocks, while senior No. 5 Courtney Files added seven kills.
Behunin had another big performance from the service line with 10 aces and 17 total points. Kenney added 10 points, Cox served up four aces and eight points, and sophomore No. 17 Taylor Fouch chipped in two aces and nine points.
Kenney directed the offense with 18 assists, and Cox added 11. Geer anchored the defense with 22 digs, followed by Fouch with 13 and Behunin with 12. In serve receive, Fouch stood out with 30 receptions and no errors, while Geer added 23 and Behunin 17.
“We discussed using the game the night before to fuel us to do better. The girls were much more focused and had more intensity on Saturday,” Hill said. “The girls showed up ready to play on Saturday despite the early leave time. I was proud of how they didn’t let the night before defeat them.”
Rangely (4-3) will travel to Moffat County on Tuesday, Sept. 9, return home Friday, Sept. 12, to host Caprock, and close out the weekend at Vail Mountain on Saturday, Sept. 13.
Hill said she hopes to see steady progress as the team enters a busy stretch of matches. “I feel like we are doing great but still have a lot to improve on. We are just taking it one game at a time,” she said. “I just want to see the girls improve individually and as a team every week.”
Good luck to the Lady Panthers this week as they play a busy schedule starting in Moffat County on Tuesday night, Sept. 9 — and go Panthers!
