From left, Katy Vance, Sierra Dunlap, and Lily Glass watch the ball during their Sept. 8 match against The Classical Academy.
For the first time in two years, the Manitou Springs volleyball team got back into a tournament atmosphere as the Mustangs competed at the Jefferson Academy Tournament on Sept. 10 and 11.
The Mustangs (6-2 overall) rattled off wins over Monte Vista, Jefferson Academy and Eagle Ridge Academy to advance to the championship game against Faith Christian.
The Eagles proved to be a tough matchup, beating Manitou 25-23, 26-24 to walk away champions. The weekend was exactly what this team needed as it’s looking to develop into a topflight Class 3A program.
“It was a wakeup call,” junior Avah Armour said. “Playing that many games in a row is different for a lot of girls on our team. We got into a good rhythm.”
In the three wins, Armour led the team with 29 kills, while Lexi Vigil dished out 32 assists. Ayla Flett was steady defensively with 31 digs, which were crucial to getting set up offensively.
Manitou followed up the tournament performance with a big 25-9, 25-7, 25-17 win over DSST: College View on Tuesday, Sept. 14. Flett led the team with eight kills, while Armour and Katy Vance each added six.
It was a solid way to rebound after dropping the match to Faith Christian, which was the Mustangs’ second loss of the season after a 3-0 loss to The Classical Academy on Wednesday, Sept. 8.
“Going into the game (against Faith Christian), we didn’t really know a ton about them,” Armour said. “That was really good for us because we had no expectations and we just wanted to focus on our game. Even though we lost, I thought we put up a good fight.”
The Mustangs have a daunting task on their hands Friday, Sept. 17, as they take on Lamar, the state’s top-ranked team, according to the CHSAANow.com coaches poll.