Dove Creek has been amped up for weeks, ready to take on the state’s elite under the brightest lights.
In Thursday’s action at the Denver Coliseum, the Bulldogs took center stage, splitting a pair of matches to head into Friday in the elimination bracket.
The Bulldogs opened the morning with a thorough victory over No. 9 La Veta – the same Red Hawks program that DC topped in the regional final – scoring the first five points of the match and never looking back in a four-set win, 25-15, 25-11, 22-25, 25-18.
Then, against the defending state champion Merino Rams, Dove Creek held their own for lengthy stretches in each of their three sets, but the top seed came up with big streaks at opportune times to help Merino advance with a 25-15, 25-17, 25-23 sweep.
Dove Creek (26-1) suffered their first loss of the season, and moves to the elimination bracket on Friday, facing No. 10 Otis at 9:30 a.m., needing a win to extend their season.
In the match against the Rams, Dove Creek led in each set, and looked to utilize the aggressive play that helped them to their opening victory over La Veta.
Merino countered with a 7-0 run the first set, opening an 18-9 lead after Dove Creek had stayed in pace with the defending champs.
In the second set, DC regrouped, taking a couple of crucial momentum-swinging points with hustle plays. The front line of senior Lexi Gray and junior Kylie Gatlin turned away multiple Merino attacks, helping the No. 8 Bulldogs to a 15-13 lead. However, Merino responded in a big way, taking the next six points in a 12-2 run to close out the set.
Then in the third, Dove Creek played one of their best stretches of the day, trading points with Merino and leading 20-18 in the late moments of the set. However, Merino had one more answer, breaking a 23-all tie with the final two points of the match to move on in the winner’s bracket.
Dove Creek made relatively light work of La Veta to earn the right to face Merino, building massive leads in each of the first two sets thanks to powerful attacks from senior Trista Barnett and sophomore Ralynn Hickman.
La Veta showed signs of life in the third set, but DC made sure that the rally was short-lived. Senior Destiny Toledo and freshman Hadley Hatfield saw significant court time for Lacey Murphy’s group, as Dove Creek pulled away to close out the match.
Last year, the Bulldogs found themselves in a similar predicament, needing to win on Friday to keep their season going, and then picking win after win to come within one match of the semifinals. Their elimination bracket route begins Friday morning with a meeting with Otis, who fell to Simla in their state opener, in a battle of Bulldogs. The winner will move on to face either No. 6 Wiley or No. 12 Stratton about 5:30 p.m.
