Graycee Cravens (front) is one of 35 Meeker girls out for the volleyball team this year. | TIFFANY JEHOREK PHOTO
MEEKER I After a short break from last season, Cowboy volleyball is back on the court.
They start the season in the number one spot in the coaches poll. CHSAA rankings and RPI are not accurate or have not been released yet due to the limited number of games.
“We have 35 girls out this year,” began head coach Greg Cravens, “it’s really nice with this big group of girls to have two gyms to practice in.”
Meeker is returning all but two players from last season and they are planning on running a 5/1 around senior setter Tatumn Kennedy, who earned all conference honorable mention last year. This year sophomore Ainsley Selle will move into the right side hitter position.
“We set Ainsley at right side in our summer games and she played so good, she will be staying,” commented Cravens.
Returning for her third year is Emma Luce who ended last season as the number three overall hitter in Colorado with 327 kills, with a 0.315 hitting percentage. Luce was first team all state, all conference, and conference player of the year, and will be playing outside hitter.
In the middle Savvy Mendenhall, returning all conference honorable mention player, and Nora Gianineti will play that position.
“Savvy really had a good summer season, and turned it up,” said Cravens.
Senior Aspen Merrifield, returning all conference honorable mention player, will once again be the other outside hitter and is in her third year on varsity.
This year’s libero will be determined game to game. Sarah Kracht, a returning all conference honorable mention Cowboy, and Grace Roberts will rotate in the position; Kracht will also play hitter.
“Our strongest competition in our league this year will be Plateau Valley and Soroco,” commented Cravens, the other teams are the same as last year in the conference with the exception of North Fork.
Meeker’s opening weekend will be spent on the road, Friday at Coal Ridge and Saturday the JV and C teams will be in Parachute and Varsity will play two games against Dolores and Telluride, hosted by the newly formed North Fork in Hotchkiss.
By TIFFANY JEHOREK – Special to the Herald Times
