After struggling through the first half of its season, the Dolores High School volleyball team is on a roll.
Among the factors that have contributed to the Bears surge has been the arrival of senior Beth Brown, who missed the first half of the season after transferring from Montezuma-Cortez High School.
Just how important Brown has become became apparent on Oct. 7 when Dolores won at home over Mancos, 25-23, 25-12, 25, 15. The Bluejays defeated the Bears in four sets earlier this season.
Throughout a competitive first set, Brown had several kills, a few nifty tips and countless digs as Dolores squeaked to a two-point victory.
"I think it was really important for us to get the first (set) so we could suck all their energy out," said Brown.
Continuing to apply pressure in the second set, the Bears reeled off 13 straight points to turn a 12-12 tie into a 25-12 victory.
In the third set, the Bears benefited from numerous kills by Courtney Blackmer and a few key blocks by Taylor Elder to close out the match.
"(Mancos) is a good team and they're hard to play against," said Blackmer after the match. "We were really composed."
Prior to their win over Mancos, the Bears travelled to Telluride on Oct. 3 and defeated the Miners, 25-9, 25-4, 20-25, 25-22.
On Oct. 4, Dolores defeated Ouray 25-17, 25-18, 25-7 even though the Bears struggled in all facets of the game.
"We didn't play very well and we're lucky that we were playing Ouray that day," said Brown.
Thanks to their three consecutive wins, the Bears record now stands at 8-6 on the season. Next up for Dolores will be a road matchup against Dove Creek on Oct. 9.
"We had a rough start to the season," said Brown. The most important thing is that we have a good end."
