For the 10th season, Greg Cravens is at the helm of the Meeker High School volleyball program, guiding the Cowboys through another season as captain of the ship.
This past Saturday, Cravens and his Cowboys battled Plateau Valley through five sets, but the visiting Cowboys held on for a 15-13 victory in the deciding fifth set.
Meeker fell 3-2, dropping its record to 5-2 on the season.
The Cowboys struggled out of the gate, falling 25-10 in the opening set. They responded in the second, winning 25-21 to even the match.
Plateau Valley regained the advantage with a 25-19 win in the third set, but Meeker answered once again, taking the fourth 25-20 to force a fifth.
Meeker fell behind 8-2 in the deciding set before fighting its way back into contention. The Cowboys later trailed 14-11 but continued to battle before Plateau Valley closed out the match 15-13.
For Cravens, the result was disappointing, but the fight shown by his team was something to build on.
“I have loved how hard this team battles during matches,” Cravens said. “They don’t give up on each other or our chances.”
Sophomore Raegan Clatterbaugh led Meeker offensively with 10 kills on 29 attacks while adding 15 digs, three aces and 16 service points. Senior Ruth LeBlanc followed with eight kills, five digs and four service points.
Freshman Graysie Coryell recorded seven kills and 18 digs while handling 17 serve receptions without an error. Junior Norah Loar led the defensive effort with 25 digs, while senior Keelan Dade finished with 13 digs and 18 serve receptions.
At the net, junior Hailey Schwartz recorded five total blocks and added 13 assists. Junior Gracee Gardner finished with 12 assists.
Cravens said the Cowboys still need to improve the way they begin matches.
“We have struggled with starts to matches, which is something we need to work on,” Cravens said. “We sided out much better during the second set. We went from 45.8% in set one to 59.1% in the second set. We still struggled with passing and putting the ball down on their side. Plateau Valley was very good at defense.”
Even after falling behind early in the fifth set, Cravens said the Cowboys stayed focused on the next point.
“We didn’t start that set well either, down 2-8 at one point, but the girls never gave up,” Cravens said. “We were also down 11-14, but we just kept playing hard. I appreciate how this team just plays the next ball.”
That mentality is one Cravens continues to reinforce.
“It doesn’t matter what the score says; we are going to play the next ball to the best of our abilities,” he said.
As of Sept. 8, Meeker is ranked No. 26 in the Class 2A CHSAA seeding index and sits at 1-1 in league play, seventh in the 2A/1A Western Slope League.
The Cowboys return to the road this weekend for two league matches, traveling to De Beque Sept. 11 for a 5 p.m. match before facing Soroco Sept. 12 at noon.
Cravens said both matches will be important opportunities for Meeker, particularly in a competitive Western Slope League.
“These two matches are big league matches for us and we need to start strong and play well both days,” Cravens said. “The Western Slope league is a good one and even the teams that don’t have great records still come out and play hard and we need to be ready for them.”
Moving deeper into September, Cravens said the biggest priority is getting Meeker’s offense back into rhythm.
“Offense: we need to have more earned points during each set,” Cravens said. “We dropped off this weekend and need to get back into a groove offensively.”