When the Mancos High School volleyball team played against Dolores earlier this season, the Bluejays won in four games.
Playing in Dolores on Oct. 7, things did not go as well for the Bluejays, as they were blasted 25-23, 25-12, 25-15.
Although Mancos played well at times throughout the match, poor communication amongst players doomed the team.
"We learned our new rotations at the end of practice yesterday and that kind of threw us off a lot," said Mancos junior Taryn Gordanier.
Despite their confusion, the Bluejays hung tough during the first game, coming back from a 5-0 deficit to eventually tie things 16-16 after a kill down the line by Nicole Hess.
After taking a 22-20 lead later in the game, the Bluejays fell apart, losing five of the game's final six points.
"Early on we were strong, confident and excited," said Bluejays head coach Brittany Lang. "We're trying new things and really changing it up though, which definitely creates more mistakes."
Looking to even things up in the second game, Mancos pulled ahead 4-3 before tying the game, 12-12, after a hard kill by Gordanier.
Dolores subsequently took over however, winning the final 13 points of the game thanks to numerous kills by both Courtney Blackmer and Beth Brown.
Appearing disjointed throughout the third game, the Bluejays fell behind 3-0 early after three consecutive hitting errors before losing the game 25-15.
Clearly frustrated after the match, Gordanier said that the Bluejays busy schedule during the last month has taken a toll.
"I think we are just exhausted because we've had three games a week for the past month and a half," said Gordanier. "It takes up a lot of energy."
With their record now at 9-6, things will not get any easier for the Bluejays however, as the team will face off against Ignacio in Mancos on Oct. 9.
