Lady Pirates go 2-1 over week, final home game set for Tuesday

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Jordan Lindstrom (back) and Lynelle Bartz (front) go up for a block during the Lady Pirates’ home game against the Montezuma-Cortez Panthers. The Pirates won the match 3-0. 

By Dorothy Elder | Staff Writer

The Pagosa Springs High School Lady Pirate volleyball team picked up two wins against the Montezuma-Cortez Panthers and the 2A Ignacio Bobcats over the last week, but faced a loss against the Centauri Falcons. 

The Lady Pirates continue to be fourth in the Intermountain League (IML), with a current league record of 3-5 and a season record of 10-7. 

Last Thursday, the Pirates won against the Panthers 3-0. 

The Panthers are ranked fifth in the IML with an 0-8 league record and a 4-13 season record. 

“It was good to get a win, to feel like we were on track with taking care of business quickly,” coach Katie Lorenzen said, noting that the last time the Pirates played the Panthers it took four sets to win the match. 

The Pirates won in three sets: 25-16 in the first and second sets, and 25-20 in the final set. 

Lorenzen highlighted Aspen Pitcher, who hit .571, which the coach called “incredible for an outside hitter.” 

As a team, the Pirates hit .220, which the coach highlighted as a good performance. 

Lauren Monterroso and Annie O’Donnell both were in the double digits for assists, with 13 and 12, respectively. The team passed a 2.1. 

The team struggled at the service line, with 14 service errors, but improved during their game against the Falcons, which took place on Saturday. 

They faced a loss against Centauri, a team that is ninth in the state for 3A division and second in the IML with a 6-2 league record and a 12-6 season record. 

Lorenzen explained that the Lady Pirates started the game really strong, which she called “really exciting to watch.” 

She noted that Centauri has a particularly strong middle hitter, and the Pirates’ middles were working really hard to slow that player down. 

Centauri eventually made adjustments in its lineup, at which point Lorenzen said they seemed to “grab the momentum” and go on to beat the Pirates.

Still, given the Falcons’ high ranking, the coach highlighted that the ladies put up a good fight and showed what they could do against a top 10 team. 

The team hit just over .100 — a very difficult percentage to win a game with, Lorenzen explained. 

The Pirates lost all three sets, losing to the Falcons 25-21 the first set, 25-15 the second set and 25-8 the final set. 

The coach highlighted the team’s blocks, which she stated have improved over the season. 

Kynslie Limebrook led the team in blocks with six, for a team total of eight. 

On Tuesday, the Pirates recovered from their loss in a win against the Bobcats in a five set match. 

The Pirates won the game 3-2, losing in the first set 25-19, winning in the second set 26-24, losing in the third 25-21, and winning the final two sets 25-19 and 15-12. 

The Bobcats are currently ranked second in the 1A/2A San Juan Basin League with a league record of 7-2 and a season record of 11-9. 

Lorenzen called the game a great night for stats: the team hit .278, the highest this season.

Pitcher earned a double-double with 14 kills and 19 digs, hitting .257. 

Lorenzen noted that she was consistently aggressive and touched almost every play, working really hard all night. 

Lynelle Bartz had six serving aces, the highest for any individual all season, according to the coach. 

Chantelle Caldwell had 10 kills, hit .375 and added five blocks in a performance that the coach called “great” throughout the night. 

The team had 79 digs, with Bea Carpenter contributing 13, Pitcher having 19 and Monterroso notching 24. 

“I was really proud of our team for fighting,” the coach said. “There was some back and forth, but we were in there and we were battling, and we didn’t give up.” 

Looking forward to the rest of the season, the team will have their final home game and senior night next Tuesday against the Monte Vista Pirates. Then, they’ll head to a tournament at Coal Ridge High School in New Castle to wrap up their regular season. 

After that, the Lady Pirates will see if they qualify for regionals, where only the top 36 teams in each division qualify. They are ranked 20th in the 3A division currently, and the coach suggested she is hopeful about their ranking.