The Pagosa Springs High School Lady Pirates fell prey to the Alamosa Mean Moose and Durango Demons over the last week, dropping to a 7-8 overall record.
But, coach Katie Lorenzen indicated, both matchups featured highlights for the Lady Pirates.
On Saturday, the team traveled to Alamosa to take on the top-10-ranked Mean Moose.
Lorenzen noted it was a long day for the Lady Pirates, with a scheduling mix-up putting the team there hours before the scheduled game.
“So, we had to wait a long time,” she said, adding, “That kind of threw off the day just having to sit in the gym. We were there before 10 and the C team didn’t start until 1, so [it] just made for an extra long day.”
The Lady Pirates fell in three sets: 25-19, 25-13 and 25-14.
“In the first set we were hanging in there,” Lorenzen said, “and then I think just kind of fizzled after that.”
Alamosa picked up their serving, also, she relayed.
“And they are a really great team,” Lorenzen said, noting there’s a reason Alamosa is one of the top-ranked teams in the state. “I think our middles did a good job with the assignment they were just supposed to basically face guard their top middle, and so ... she didn’t destroy our side as much as I think she did at the beginning of the year. ... And we also had lots of lineup switches happening and trying find something that would gain some traction, but we just couldn’t quite gain some traction against a really good team, so kudos to them.”
The coach indicated it was tough for the team to get into a rhythm.
“Our passing was definitely struggling and then we weren’t able to get into an offensive rhythm, so we hit ... negative,” she said, adding the team also had more errors than kills as a team.
The Lady Pirates had 11 kills against the Mean Moose, led by five from Aspen Pitcher.
Pagosa logged two aces — both by Dawson Iverson.
The team had seven serving errors.
The Lady Pirates had six total blocks, which included one solo block each from Pitcher and Cadence Kerns. The team notched eight assisted blocks. Kerns led the team with four total blocks.
Pagosa had 28 digs in the affair, with Kerns leading the team with seven.
Sophia Sottek had all of the team’s 11 assists.
The team had 52 serve receptions and five serve receive errors.
Kerns led the team with 18 of the serve receptions.
The Mean Moose are the No. 4 team in the 3A Selection and Seeding Index, with the Lady Pirates ranked 31st.
On Tuesday, the team traveled to Durango to face the 5A Demons.
“We went in really strong against Durango,” Lorenzen said. “I think the girls were really hyped up playing against some players they have played club with and kind of knowing some of their tendencies and just fired up to play at a high level against a very good team.”
The Lady Pirates fell in three sets: 25-23, 25-17 and 25-10.
“We really were neck and neck quite a while in the first and second sets against Durango,” the coach described, adding, “The final set we had a long rut against a tough server.”
The coach noted the Lady Pirates had some “really great energy and hustle play” in the close first set, making it fun to watch.
“We were looking for a matchup to have Cadence against their big middle hitter and both of us coaches just kept flip-flopping our lineup, so then it wasn’t ... working to line up, but we ended up doing so well. I mean, either of our middles when they go with the assignment they do really well, and we are getting a lot of great block touches.”
She also highlighted the Lady Pirates’ hustle plays in the back row with defenders “diving all over the place.”
“So, it was great to have a high-energy game and, even though we lost in three, we battled, and that’s all you can ask for.”
The Lady Pirates notched 21 kills against the Demons, including eight by Pitcher.
Lorenzen highlighted Pitcher’s hitting percentage of .304, saying, “She’s always a go-to hitter and takes a lot of swings for us. And, she was swinging big against a very big block.”
The coach added she told the Lady Pirates in the locker room that she was really impressed with the team’s hitting percentage despite the fact the team had a pretty low passing average.
“We either passed pretty well or we were getting aced against some really good servicers, so even with that, to have a high hitting percentage was pretty good,” she said.
Lexi Campbell had the team’s only ace, with the team committing six service errors.
The Lady Pirates had five total blocks, with Campbell putting up a solo block and the squad having eight assisted blocks. Pitcher and Kerns each had three total blocks.
The team logged 45 total digs, led by Pitcher’s 11.
Sottek tallied 17 of the team’s 18 assists.
Pitcher led the team in service receptions with 20 of the team’s total of 55. The team had 11 reception errors.
Next, the Lady Pirates will return to their home court and try to even their season series with the Bayfield Wolverines at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
The Wolverines sit second in the Intermountain League behind Alamosa and own a league record of 3-2 and overall record of 8-6.
The Lady Pirates, who are fourth in the league with a 2-4 league mark, previously fell to the Wolverines 3-0 in Bayfield on Sept. 17.
randi@pagosasun.com
