MEEKER | After a weekend off, the Meeker High School volleyball team returned to the court Friday and opened September with a road sweep at De Beque.
The Cowboys entered the contest with a 2-2 record after losing Aug. 23 at the Glenwood Springs tournament to Coal Ridge. This time, they came away with a decisive win, taking all three sets 25-9, 25-17 and 25-13.
The last time the two teams played was Sept. 6, 2024, when Meeker won 3-1. Head coach Greg Cravens said energy was an area his team is still working to improve.
“I thought we could be better with our energy,” Cravens said. “The kids talked a lot this week about it, so I’m sure we’ll fix that pretty quick.”
Senior Rylee Sullivan led the Cowboys’ offense with 10 kills, four aces and a .571 hitting percentage. She said De Beque’s defensive positioning opened opportunities.
“DeBeque played very deep so putting the ball really short or really long worked,” Sullivan said. “They didn’t have the greatest technique which made it easier to score. As far as finding openings on defense, I just worked on putting the ball on their side and near the setter’s position.”
Sullivan said serving runs were also a major factor. “It was important to keep the pressure on from the line because it gave us a run,” she said. “I try to be confident and consistent when setting up a big swing.”
On defense, senior libero Braydin Raley finished with nine digs and nine serve receptions. She said Meeker’s game plan shifted when De Beque’s top hitter was unavailable that evening.
“Going into De Beque this week, we were planning on their big hitter giving us a run, but she was injured so she didn’t play,” Raley said. “Their other hitters, however, weren’t very threatening; nothing was hard driven or specifically placed giving us lots of time to read and react. It’s my job to stay calm in the back row and to help my teammates be calm too, however most of the serves from last night were easy to read and get two feet under.”
Raley added that her role is about supporting teammates. “It’s not my job to make myself look good, it’s to make my setters and hitters look good,” she said. “I may not get a lot of recognition from people off the court, but my team sees me.”
She also emphasized the importance of communication. “As a libero, one of my main jobs is to communicate with my teammates. I’ve been working on being louder and more talkative on the court and bench,” Raley said.
Sophomore setter Hailey Schwartz directed the offense with 14 assists, averaging 4.7 per set. She said her focus is on setting up hitters in the best positions.
“My main focus while setting was to be able to place the ball in the best spot for all of my hitters to shine with a kill,” Schwartz said. “To decide who gets the ball in each situation, I think about tricking the other team and setting up a spot that is unexpected. In a situation where the ball is closer to the outside position, I try to set it to the middle or right side, which gives us a better chance to have one blocker against us instead of two. In a situation where I have a perfect pass, I’ll set it to the person who hasn’t gotten to hit for a little bit so they can get that kill.”
Schwartz said balancing speed and accuracy is critical. “To balance speed and accuracy, I think about who I’m going to set based on the situation while I’m getting to the ball. Then, I’ll quickly make the decision and get my feet set so I can make an accurate set to the spot I chose,” she said. “It is such an exciting moment when the hitters make an amazing kill. I love seeing what they can do with my sets and it’s really awesome to celebrate the point with them after.”
The Cowboys will host Vail Christian in their home opener Friday, Sept. 12, before traveling to Soroco on Saturday Sept. 13. Cravens said the team is focusing on defense and offensive execution.
“Our blocking is gonna have to be a lot better. They’ve got one really big hitter that we’re gonna have to stop,” Cravens said. “Offensively, I think we need to find the court a little bit more. We’re kind of just hitting it, and I’m not sure we controlled where we wanted to hit it.”
Consistency will also be a point of emphasis. “I just want to see the energy level stay for the whole match instead of up and down, it’s kind of a roller coaster right now,” Cravens said.
The Cowboys’ C team opens play at 3 p.m. Friday, followed by JV at 4 p.m. and varsity at 5 p.m. against Vail Christian. On Saturday, Meeker will travel to Soroco to face the Rams in their first league road test of the season. Good luck to the Cowboys this weekend as they host their home opener in front of the hometown fans.
