Playing at home against Norwood on Sept. 18, the Dolores High School volleyball team put together several solid points.
Unfortunately for the Bears however, such points were few and far between during a 25-14, 25-18, 25-12 loss to the Mavericks.
"I didn't now what to expect from (Norwood)," said Dolores head coach Gina Hollen. "They definitely were a tough team and we weren't ready for that."
Factoring into the Bears loss was a poor start to the first set, which allowed Norwood jump in front, 9-0.
Although Dolores got on the board after a tip by Taylor Elder and an ace by Alyssa Umberger, Norwood's early lead proved too much to overcome.
"I think that were just down and not really ready for what was coming," said Dolores freshman Josie Majors.
Playing far better to start the second set, the Bears jumped out to a 1-0 lead after an ace by Umberger and led 3-1 after an Umberger tip.
Norwood stormed back to take a 12-8 lead, but a tip by Courtney Blackmer and another ace by Umberger allowed the Bears to narrow the gap to 12-10.
From then on, it was all Norwood as the Mustangs went on an 8-1 run to pull ahead 21-14 before coasting to a second-set victory.
"I felt like we were more aggressive and were working more as a team," said Dolores sophomore Bailey Boyd, discussing her team's play in the second set.
Looking to stay alive with a third set victory, the Bears again started slow, falling behind 8-0.
"It's hard because we start looking up at the scoreboard," said Hollen. "Playing from behind, we already feel defeated."
After Dolores went on to lose the third set, the Bears record dropped to 3-3 on the year. Norwood improved to 6-2 on the season.
Next up for the Bears will be a home matchup against Ridgway on Sept. 20.
"We need to stay low improve on our tips and our coverage," said Majors of her team's goals for the upcoming matchup.
"We need to improve on our passing and shaking off our mistakes," added Hollen.
