MANCOS – For several of their rotations on Tuesday night, Dove Creek featured four freshmen on the court at the same time – a daunting position for a new high schooler to face varsity-level attacks coming from all angles.
Mancos senior Bailey Beh can remember those days, and the lessons she picked up from being a day-one starter for the Jays three seasons ago. Now, the standout middle hitter for first-year head coach Monica Ramirez takes on the other end of the spectrum – the team’s lone senior leading the way for an underclassmen-heavy Bluejay squad.
“Having the other girls look up to me has been a push for me,” said Beh of her new role, “we know that volleyball is a game of mistakes, and so it’s been about learning how to grow from them.”
Beh is in line to be the latest in a list of Four Corners volleyball standouts to reach 1,000 kills for her career – she entered the season with over 700 – and more importantly, has become a trusted source for leadership as Mancos seeks their sixth straight season with double-digit victories.
Mancos (2-5) leaned on Beh and her front-line attacking compatriots to notch their second win of the season, a 25-18, 25-18, 25-13 sweep of the visiting Bulldogs (0-7).
While Beh’s powerful edge-to-edge attacks started the show as part of a punishing 13-3 opening to the first set, the Jays picked up points from a variety of sources, including junior outside hitter Aurelia Bueno-Valdez from the right antennae.
Sophomore Sienna Small authored a big streak from the service line that kept the ‘Dogs off-balanced, and classmate Tiffany McKinley made sure that the visitors earned every point that they got by controlling the back line operations.
After the early avalanche, Dove Creek composed themselves and started to gain a foothold in the match – head coach Erin Barry’s team scored a 7-2 run late in the opening set to close within 23-18 behind senior Mykaela Fury’s attacks – but the Bulldogs couldn’t claw any closer.
DC kept their momentum going into the second set, taking a 10-9 lead midway through the frame behind freshmen Taryn Beanland and Kara Harrington’s hustle plays to preserve points. However, the lead evaporated as the Jays sprinted on an 8-0 run – with Mancos sophomore setter Tymbri Priestley finding all of her available attacking options with precision passes.
“We (Priestley and I) had an immediate connection when she first stepped on the court, and it’s been something we’ve had ever since,” said Beh.
Junior Laney Palmer made her presence felt at the net, while freshman Gwen Gardner and McKinley’s digs aided the Jays in earning seemingly all of the long rally points.
Another Bulldogs surge composed by senior setter Kaybree Smith early in the third set put the visitors in front, 8-6, but Bueno-Valdez served 10 straight points to effectively end any threat of the match extending beyond the three-set minimum.
“Our energy was really good – we kept our foot on the gas pedal,” said Beh, as the Jays bounced back after several close calls in their four losses in tournament action in West Grand, “We were able to trust each other.”
After their San Juan Basin League opener at Norwood on Thursday, Mancos has a week-and-a-half before they return to The Roost for their next match – a contest against Montezuma-Cortez on Sept. 15. Dove Creek’s next opponent will also be Norwood to kick off the SJBL – a Tuesday, Sept. 8 clash that also marks the home opener for the Bulldogs. Both the DC-Norwood and Mancos-Cortez contests will be broadcast on radio station KRTZ 98.7 and 106.3 FM and krtzradio.com.
