MEEKER | The Meeker High School volleyball team remained at home this past weekend, hosting the North Fork Miners on Friday and the Caprock Academy Eagles on Saturday.
The last time the Cowboys played North Fork was Oct. 18, 2024, when Meeker traveled to Hotchkiss and picked up a 3-2 win. This season, it was the Miners who traveled to Meeker looking for revenge, and they delivered a 3-0 victory (25-20, 25-13, 25-23).
Despite the loss, Meeker showed grit and leadership across the court, led by senior standouts and emerging young talent.
Senior Rylee Sullivan paced the Cowboys offensively with eight kills and added 12 digs. Freshman Raegan Clatterbaugh followed with six kills and a team-leading 17 serve receptions, while senior Shailee Rundberg contributed five kills on 17 attempts.
Setter Jacey Follman distributed the offense efficiently with 16 assists, supported by sophomore Hailey Schwartz, who added five. Defensively, senior Braydin Raley anchored the back row with a team-high 22 digs and led serve receive with 36 receptions.
At the line, Lissbeth Sanchez went a perfect 9-for-9, while Sullivan, Rundberg and Clatterbaugh each served above 85 percent.
Head coach Greg Cravens said Meeker’s offensive struggles were the biggest challenge. “We’re struggling offensively right now,” he said. “Every time we put the ball over on their side, they picked it up and brought it back to us. We’ve got to find better ways to score. That was a very good team. They scramble and get everything. It was frustrating.”
The Cowboys bounced back Saturday against Caprock Academy, sweeping the Eagles 25-21, 25-21, 25-21. The last time the two teams met, Meeker also won 3-0 on the road Oct. 19, 2024.
Sullivan again led Meeker with 10 kills and 15 digs, showing her consistency on both ends of the court. Junior Sawyer May added seven kills on a .250 hitting percentage, while senior Lilly Newman recorded seven kills with an efficient .429 hitting percentage.
Follman once again ran the offense with 17 assists, supported by Schwartz with nine. Defensively, Raley (11 digs), Keelan Dade (7 digs) and Sullivan anchored the back row, with Raley leading serve receive with 29 receptions. Clatterbaugh contributed four aces and three total blocks, while Rundberg, Follman, Newman and Sullivan each added an ace with perfect serving.
After the Caprock match, Sullivan reflected on the team’s focus and the weekend’s Pink Out games. “We came back together and just focused on the game we were playing,” she said. “The Pink Out game is always fun because it is so much more than volleyball. I’m incredibly grateful to live in a community where the Pink Out game means so much.”
Freshman Clatterbaugh praised her teammates’ composure and leadership. “My team is really good at keeping everyone calm,” she said. “All of the upperclassmen do a great job leading on and off the court.”
Cravens said he was proud of the team’s response. “Tons of smiles when they got here this morning, and they played very hard. I was very proud of them today,” he said.
Meeker will travel to Olathe this Saturday before returning home to face Vail Mountain on Oct. 27 at 5:30 p.m. and Roaring Fork on Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m.
The Meeker High School volleyball team comes together to celebrate a point during their annual Pink Out weekend, which took place during matches against North Fork on Friday and Caprock Academy on Saturday. JARED HENDERSON PHOTO
