DENVER – Two days and thirteen sets on the Denver Coliseum floor showed the state what everyone in Southwest Colorado already knew – this Dolores volleyball team isn’t going to back down from a challenge. Making their return visit to the 2A state tournament after a five-year hiatus, the Bears also showcased their intent to be regulars in the season’s final weekend for years to come.
DHS (25-3) closed out the program’s winningest season with a trio of heart-pumping matches, topping Sanford, 3-1, after dropping their opening match against Swink by the same margin. With a date in Saturday’s final sprint to the championship on the line, the Bears battled back from a 2-1 deficit against Sedgwick County to force a decisive fifth game, only to fall to the Cougars 22-25, 25-17, 25-19, 23-25, 15-12 to see their season come to an end.
The Bears, entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed after capturing the San Juan Basin League and 2A Region 3 titles, provided plenty of drama in the pressure-cooker atmosphere, riding the tsunamis of emotion that accompanied major rallies in each of their three matches. In their finale against No. 7 Sedgwick County, the Bears landed the first big punch as they broke a six-all tie in the opening set with a string of eight points in a ten-point span to build a 14-8 lead. DHS withstood a late charge from the Cougars to claim the early momentum, only to watch SedgCo wrestle it back with a series of intense rallies to take the second and third sets.
It looked for a moment like the Bears might run out of steam – trailing 15-11 in the fourth set – but head coach Brianna Wyatt’s team found another gear, ripping off six of the next eight points to tie up the set, before leaping out in front. After icing the set, 25-23, Dolores stormed out to a 5-1 lead in the last frame. However, the Cougars answered the bell to knot the score at nine, then posted a quick flurry to cement their advantage and pull out the win.
The Bears had advanced to play the Cougars in the second round of the elimination bracket courtesy of their second win over Sanford this season, navigating a series of razor-thin margins to beat the Mustangs 25-20, 23-25, 25-23, 25-23 for Dolores’ first state tournament victory in at least two decades. In their opener against Swink, Dolores trailed 18-8 in the third set, but battle back with an incredible run to snatch the set and force a fourth frame – but ultimately the Lions held on for the win that sent DHS into the elimination bracket.
Dolores closes out their fantastic run while offering their varsity seniors the program’s first winning season during their four years. It also served as an introduction to the state tournament for a large wave of rising talent, including deep classes of 2027 and 2029 that appear to make the Bears a team with staying power over the coming years.
