Dove Creek senior Hannah Barry (22) times her block perfectly to deny Idalia senior Addyson Juhnke (7) during the Class 1A State Championships on Thursday at the Denver Coliseum. The Bulldogs lost in five sets. (Joel Priest/Special to The Journal)
Dove Creek closes out fourth straight state tournament appearance with 24-win season
DENVER – Dove Creek’s exceptional four-year run, guided by a special senior class, came to an end Friday morning at the 1A state volleyball tournament in Denver.
The Bulldogs (24-3) picked up a win in Thursday’s opening round action – their fourth straight trip with at least one win in the competition – but fell in their next two matches to close out their season. No. 8 seed Hi-Plains dealt the Bulldogs a straight-set defeat (25-16, 25-14, 25-19) in the first round of elimination bracket play.
That loss to the Patriots followed up a marathon opening day, in which Dove Creek battled through two five-set matches, topping Cheraw before falling to Idalia — playing over 400 points between the two matches.
Dove Creek junior Allex Williams serves during the Class 1A State Championships on Thursday at the Denver Coliseum. (Joel Priest/Special to The Journal)
As the No. 7 seed entering the bracket, the Bulldogs rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat the Bears to open the tournament. Dove Creek then gave No. 2 Idalia all it could handle through a back-and-forth contest that came down to a 15-13 deciding set that the Wolves won.
Seven seniors made their final appearances for the Bulldogs under first-year coach Erin Barry, piling up accolades along the way. Led by the Class of 2025, the Bulldogs won the San Juan Basin League for the second time in their four-year tenure. Dove Creek also won four straight regional titles, while tallying a 101-15 record over that span.
Dove Creek senior Hannah Barry (22) concentrates on setting to either senior Taylor Barry (8) or senior Aspen Nye (21) during the Class 1A State Championships on Thursday at the Denver Coliseum. (Joel Priest/Special to The Journal)
Dove Creek senior Taylor Barry (8) tries spiking a shot over Idalia junior Tatum Soehner (10) during the Class 1A State Championships on Thursday at the Denver Coliseum. The Bulldogs lost in five sets. (Joel Priest/Special to The Journal)
Dove Creek junior Allex Williams dives to try saving the ball from going out of bounds during second-day action Friday morning, November 15, versus Hi-Plains at the Class 1A State Championships inside the Denver Coliseum. The Lady Bulldogs' 2024 season ended on the short side of a 16-25, 14-25, 19-25 loss to the Seibert-based Lady Patriots.Joel Priest/Special to The Journal
Dove Creek senior Ralynn Hickman (10) powers up for a kill shot over Hi-Plains senior Serenity Hernandez (2) during second-day action Friday morning, November 15, at the Class 1A State Championships inside the Denver Coliseum. The Lady Bulldogs' 2024 season ended on the short side of a 16-25, 14-25, 19-25 loss to the Seibert-based Lady Patriots.Joel Priest/Special to The Journal
Dove Creek senior Jenessa Barragan (14) blocks Hi-Plains freshman standout Cambria Seaman (8) during second-day action Friday morning, November 15, at the Class 1A State Championships inside the Denver Coliseum. The Lady Bulldogs' 2024 season ended on the short side of a 16-25, 14-25, 19-25 loss to the Seibert-based Lady Patriots.Joel Priest/Special to The Journal
Dove Creek junior Hadley Hatfield (6) attacks against Hi-Plains freshman Brianna Rueb (22) during second-day action Friday morning, November 15, at the Class 1A State Championships inside the Denver Coliseum. The Lady Bulldogs' 2024 season ended on the short side of a 16-25, 14-25, 19-25 loss to the Seibert-based Lady Patriots.Joel Priest/Special to The Journal
Dove Creek senior libero Jessica Alexander stretches to make a dig during second-day action Friday morning, November 15, against Hi-Plains at the Class 1A State Championships inside the Denver Coliseum. The Lady Bulldogs' 2024 season ended on the short side of a 16-25, 14-25, 19-25 loss to the Seibert-based Lady Patriots.Joel Priest/Special to The Journal
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to our policies
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
