Hayden volleyball tops Moffat County in season debut
Andy Bockelman
Craig Press
CRAIG — A quick jaunt westward down U.S. Highway 40 made for a pleasant evening for the members of the Hayden High School volleyball team, ending the night with a 1-0 record to start the season.
The Tigers kept it close but came out with the 3-1 win against the Moffat County High School Lady Bulldogs, bouncing back from a 25-17 loss in the first set to take a trio of wins — 25-14, 26-24 and 25-23.
“That first one was rough, but the girls were really able to pull it together and add in some of that teamwork we’ve been working so hard on,” said Hayden coach Lexi Cyphers.
The shaky beginning for the Tigers quickly flipped around by the second set as Hayden controlled the pace and was sending back nearly everything the Lady Dogs sent their way, culminating in a kill by Leah Carrouth that earned them their first victory with two more to come.
Moffat County fought at their hardest in the third round, with a faulty serve at game point relieving pressure for Hayden as they dug in for two more points. With a 21-19 lead in the fourth set, Moffat County caught a bad break when Hailee Herndon came down hard on her ankle and left the court in tears. And, while Herndon’s Bulldog teammates fought on nonetheless, the Tigers finished just far enough ahead for the win.
“The girls on both sides worked really hard, Craig put up a fight, and I was excited to see what we could counter with,” Cyphers said. “All my hitters have been working hard in practice, and tonight, I really saw them, especially Leah, take that step forward and do what she needs to do while she was out there.”
While Moffat hosts Steamboat Springs High School on Thursday and travels to Oak Creek on Saturday for a tournament at Soroco High School, they’ll see the Tigers again at Rangely’s tournament Sept. 6 and 7.
“I’m looking forward to seeing where we’re going next,” Cyphers said. “The girls are bringing some really awesome energy to the court, and I’m so excited to watch them continue to blossom as a team. I’ve got some young’uns on varsity who are rocking it, and I love seeing them together as a unit.”
- Aug. 27: at Moffat County, W 17-25, 25-14, 26-24, 25-23
- Sept. 6-7: Rangely Tournament
- Sept. 14: at Hotchkiss, 1 p.m.
- Sept. 19: vs. Meeker, 6 p.m.
- Sept. 20: at Vail Mountain, 6 p.m.
- Sept. 21: vs. North Park, 1 p.m.
- Sept. 27: at Vail Christian, 6 p.m.
- Sept. 28: vs. Plateau Valley, 3 p.m.
- Oct. 4: at DeBeque, 5:30 p.m.
- Oct. 5: vs. Soroco, 3 p.m.
- Oct. 11: at Rangely, 4 p.m.
- Oct. 18: vs. West Grand, 6 p.m.
- Oct. 19: vs. Baggs, 1 p.m.
- Oct. 25: at Paonia, 6 p.m.
- Oct. 26: at Caprock, 3 p.m.
Hayden 3, Moffat County 1
H 17 25 26 25
MC 25 14 24 23
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around Steamboat and Routt County make the Steamboat Pilot & Today’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.