Lily Glass is poised to strike the ball as Lamar players watch Sept. 17.
There may not be a better way to measure a team’s level of play than taking on the state’s top team. That was the test facing the Manitou Springs volleyball team as it hosted Lamar on Sept. 17.
The Mustangs couldn’t hang with the No. 1-ranked team in Class 3A and suffered a 3-0 loss in their first Tri-Peaks match of the season.
Despite the disparity on the scoreboard, there were certainly some things the girls took away from the match that will help them this season.
“Confidence and belief,” coach Crissy Leonhardt said. “Those two things. Believing in yourself and having confidence are two things you need to do to be successful.”
Those two things will be instrumental in how the Mustangs (7-3 overall, 0-1 Tri-Peaks) fare through the rest of the league schedule.
They got a big 3-0 win over Dolores Huerta on Tuesday, Sept. 21, bouncing back from the loss to Lamar, and began the process of cementing that confidence and belief.
Avah Armour set the tone with a team-high 11 kills while Ayla Flett was deadly on the serve, totaling 10 aces in the match.
What was perhaps most impressive: The Scorpions didn’t score more than seven points in any set.
The Mustangs looked confident, like they believe in themselves.
“Our locker room talk was that you make a choice,” Leonhardt said. “You choose to leave here 3 percent better, or you can choose to play down to their level and not make this an opportunity to grown and learn.”
It’s safe to say the Mustangs grew and learned in the win over Dolores Huerta. And they plan to use matches against teams like Florence to continue that growth and development.