From their season-opening match to their home finale, the difference has been night and day for the Dolores Bears volleyball program.
Playing with a different level of cohesion and confidence in their Senior Day match, the Bears gave Telluride all they could handle but came up short in a five-set thriller. The Miners rallied from a 2-1 deficit to spoil the high-energy Bears’ Senior Night, winning 16-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-15, 15-11.
The Bears (6-12, 3-6 2A/1A San Juan Basin League) led 10-7 in the deciding set before the visitors scored seven of the final eight points in the match to secure revenge after Dolores had beaten the Miners 3-2 earlier this season.
Four seniors made their final appearances on the DHS Fieldhouse floor, with captain Chandler Smith leading a spirited start for the Bears, who jumped on the Miners 12-2 in the opening set and never looked back.
Serving strings of five consecutive points for junior Brooklyn Lee and later from senior Kristen Kemp spurred the bright start, before Smith sealed the first set with a well-placed set kill.
Telluride (10-11, 4-6 2A/1A SJBL) responded with a big surge of their own, turning away a Bears comeback in the second set by scoring the final six points to claim a 25-18 win to even up the match.
Showing the grit of a team that made tremendous strides along the front line, Dolores reasserted its momentum in the third set. Junior Mikayla Puett scored a block and a kill on consecutive points midway through the set, before Kemp added a kill down the line to spark a 4-0 Bears run. Classmate Akima Edwards added a kill to knot the score at 19-all.
Then, with the set in the balance, freshman Taylor Erautt provided a spike to give the Bears a 24-23 lead. She then stepped to the service line and laced an ace to the back corner of the court, giving the hosts a 2-1 set advantage.
“The team has really gelled. They’re making plays that we might not have made at the beginning of the season,” said longtime Bear head coach Gina Hollen. “We controlled the ball better and have been making more plays.”
The Miners dominated the fourth set in the seesaw battle, setting up the decisive race to 15 points. The teams evenly split the first eight points of the set, before Dolores picked up big plays from Erautt and Smith to expand their lead to three points.
However, Telluride wrestled the lead back from Dolores with some big serves, and the Bears couldn’t find one more answer.
“We tried to reset and refocus,” added Hollen. “We couldn’t quite pull it off.”
Senior Sharma Chaffee enjoyed a solid day on the front line for the Bears, as Dolores kept plenty of rallies alive thanks to hustle plays from a number of different players.
“They’ve improved all season,” said Hollen of the seniors. “They had some big shoes to fill this year, and they’ve become more confident and consistent with each match.”
Dolores will complete its season with road matches at Ridgway on Saturday, Oct. 22, before ending their season against Ignacio on Tuesday, Oct. 25.
“It’s not just about the wins and losses, it’s about what skills these girls can take from their experience out here that they can take with them for the rest of their lives,” said Hollen. “They’re learning to work together and persevere, which is what this experience is all about.”
