The Gunnison High School Volleyball season came to an end with a second-place finish in the 3A Region 2 tournament hosted by Resurrection Christian last weekend.
On Saturday, Nov. 7, the No. 23 seed Cowboys headed over to Loveland to take on the Resurrection Christian Cougars, No. 2 seed in 3A, and the Manitou Springs Mustangs, No. 35 seed in 3A.
After the Cougars defeated the Mustangs in the first game of the day, the Cowboys faced the Mustangs. A back-and-forth match ended in a 3-2 win for the Cowboys. The girls lost the first set 25-17, won the second set 25-17, won the third set 25-23, lost the fourth set 25-21 and won the fifth and final set 15-13.
Maya Petrie led the team with 17 kills in the match and Roxie Uhrig had 11.
Rodriguez led the girls with five aces and the girls had a total serve completion percentage of 90.2 percent.
Addison Claus had a team-high 17 assists, Rodriguez led the girls with 27 digs and Gianna Wickenhauser had a team-leading five total blocks.
“The team came out timid, but I am so proud of them for finding a way to win against Manitou,” wrote head coach Shana Benson in an email to the Times. “Winning a match in five sets is something that is commendable. It shows their willingness to fight.”
The win set up a win-or-go-home situation in their final game of the tournament against Resurrection Christian. The Cougars overwhelmed the Cowboys though, winning the match 3-0 with a 25-14 win in the first set, a 25-12 win in the second set and a 25-4 win in the third set.
Petrie and Uhrig each had a team-leading three kills, Natalia Sabino had a team-high four assists, Rodriguez had 10 digs and Wickenhauser led the team with one total block.
The Cougars had only lost one game all season to another 3A opponent and it was the only team ranked above them. Benson emphasized that she knew it was going to be a tough match and that the Cougars proved they are a very good team.
The Cowboys finished the season with a 15-10 record overall and an 8-6 league record. The story of the season was the girls’ play down the stretch though. Starting October first, the girls went 9-2 and played their way into the regional tournament.
“The second half of the season showed how the team came together,” wrote Benson. “You could also see the improvement from all of their hard work this summer and fall. I am very proud of them showing up every day, working hard in practice with the new drills and expectations that come with having a new coach. It's not easy.”
The success of this season would not have been possible without the work of the two senior captains Uhrig and Kaya Burnett, emphasized Benson.
“Our senior captains, Kaya Burnett and Roxie Uhrig, have done an outstanding job of leading this program both on and off the court,” wrote Benson. “They lead by example, have incredible accountability, and have helped create a culture built on hard work and commitment. Their impact on this program goes far beyond what the scoreboard shows.”
Along with Uhrig and Burnett, Merci Williams, Petrie and Sabino will be graduating and leaving the program after this season. Despite losing so much talent, Benson is still excited to build off the foundation the team built this year.
“We're establishing a culture, developing our athletes, and creating expectations that go beyond the volleyball court,” wrote Benson. “I'm excited to see what happens when the girls continue to grow together, buy into the process, get into the weight room in the off-season, and build on the foundation we've put into place.”
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