MEEKER | The Meeker Cowboy volleyball team had another successful weekend. On Friday, the Cowboys faced the North Park Wildcats, entering the match with six consecutive wins. They extended their streak to seven, sweeping the Wildcats 3-0.
Head coach Greg Cravens highlighted the importance of staying focused during the match.
“We stayed focused. We’ve always had a problem staying focused when we’re winning by a lot. We tend to go, ‘Oh, hi, have fun, sunshine.’ We stayed focused today, and that was really important,” Cravens said.
Meeker dominated on their home court, winning every set by 11 points. The final scores were 25-12 in the first set, 25-14 in the second, and 25-9 in the third.
Cravens also shared the team’s strategy for the match.
“Basically, our side — we need to take care of our square and take care of things there, and they did a good job of that today,” he said.
With Friday’s win, the Cowboys improved to 10-3 on the season, having won eight of their last nine matches. Cravens praised standout performances from individual players, including Mylah Gallegos and Braydin Raley.
“Basically, all of them. It was nice to get Mylah Gallegos in the game; we just moved her up this last week, so it’s nice to get her in the match. Braydin Raley has been awesome in the back row—her platform is probably one of the best I’ve ever had, and she keeps showing it off,” Cravens said.
Saturday Sweep of Plateau Valley
The next day, Meeker hosted Plateau Valley and continued to win, sweeping the match 3-0. The Cowboys have won the last two meetings with Plateau Valley, dating back to August 2023.
Cravens acknowledged that the match wasn’t without its challenges.
“This one was a struggle. We knew they had a big hitter, and we proved that she’s a good server. We were trying very hard to get the right people in place. We made a lot of errors today, but serving-wise, we did what we needed to do,” Cravens said.
The Cowboys maintained consistency across the three sets, keeping the visiting team between 16 and 19 points. They won the first set 25-19, the second 25-16, and the third 25-16.
Cravens also expressed pride in how the team handled the pressures of the past two weeks.
“We just stayed together. We’ve had three matches last week — Homecoming and now Pink Out — it’s been a stressful two weeks, so I’m really happy we got through two weeks with no losses. They just battled,” he said.
Hometown Support Fuels Victory
The hometown crowd, especially the student section, provided strong support over the past two weeks, creating an electric atmosphere in the gym. Cravens appreciated playing on their home court during this stretch.
“These boys went crazy for them. The support that the high school boys give us is just awesome, and I appreciate it so much,” Cravens said.
With Saturday’s win, the Cowboys’ record improved to 11-3 on the season, with nine wins in their last 10 matches. The team will be on the road next weekend, facing North Fork at 3 p.m. and Caprock Academy the following day at 11 a.m.
Go Cowboys!
By JARED HENDERSON
