Once the Panther attack ignites, it’s hard to contain.
Montezuma-Cortez parlayed big runs into a comprehensive three-set victory, 25-23, 25-16, 25-16, over visiting Bloomfield on Tuesday. The Panthers (5-4) trailed for only one point the entire match, at 3-2 early in the third set, before kicking into high gear to put away the Bobcats.
M-CHS built an early lead in the opening set, scoring nine of the opening 13 points of the match. Sophomore Devon McHenry punctuated a 4-0 run with a kill, one of four for the outside hitter in the set.
Even though Bloomfield (4-5) would rally to tie the score at 14, M-CHS turned to McHenry and freshman Avery Wright to provide important kills down the stretch. Wright tallied back-to-back smashes at a pivotal point in the first set, giving the Panthers a 21-18 lead. From there, M-CHS traded points with the Bobcats before senior Aryelle Wright put down a crushing finish on set point.
Riding the wave of momentum from the opening set, M-CHS lit up the scoreboard to begin the second. McHenry served three aces during a 5-0 start for the home team. Another sequence of five unanswered points all but put the set away, when senior Chloe Seaburn powered one of her three kills in the set to give the Panthers an 18-8 edge. In complete control, the Panthers cruised to take the second set, 25-16.
After falling behind Bloomfield for the only time in the match early in the third set, another five-point run put the Panthers in the driver’s seat. Aryelle Wright accounted for three of the points during a 10-3 run that gave M-CHS a 16-9 lead. She would add two more kills before the night was through, before Seaburn pounded the final kill of the night.
For Panther head coach Maddie Wright, taking the opening set helped set the tone for the Panthers. “We’ve been digging ourselves a hole early in matches this season,” said Wright, “so I was happy we could start out strong.”
Avery Wright paced the way with 12 kills on the night, while Aryelle Wright also finished in double figures with 10 kills. McHenry added five kills and four aces, while Seaburn notched six kills of her own.
Despite the power display, Wright praised her team’s toughness while scrambling for points. “We were scrappy,” said Wright. “We definitely showed a lot more heart and dedication on points that earlier in the season we might have lost.”
The result served as a gritty response after a tough loss against 3A Intermountain League leading Alamosa on Saturday. Even though the Mean Moose downed the Panthers in three sets, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23, M-CHS proved they could play with some of the state’s elite players.
M-CHS sits in a logjam in the middle of the league standings, making Saturday’s homecoming matchup with Pagosa Springs one with major league implications. The contest, which wraps up a four-match homestand for the Panthers, is slated for an 11 a.m. opening serve from the M-CHS gymnasium.
