With only two full squad practices under their belt, the Steamboat Springs volleyball team came out on top in its season opener with a 3-0 win against Middle Park on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022.

Despite a quick 25-15 Sailor victory in the opening set, this match was no walk in the park. The second and third sets proved to be much more challenging.

Sailors coach Wendy Hall was happy the girls got a win under their belts considering the lack of practice the full team has had. 

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“I wasn’t expecting it to be super polished, and it wasn’t,” Hall said. “I thought we fought hard and we did some good things, I felt like we served really well tonight and we put a lot of pressure on Middle Park with our serving.”

Steamboat struggled to hold a lead in the second set. The visiting Panthers rallied late in the set, putting all momentum and confidence on their side. 

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A timeout called as Steamboat led 18-13, gave the Panthers a chance to catch their breaths. 

The back-and-forth affair came down to the last few serves, but the Sailors prevailed behind a set-ending kill by senior, Tya Drennen.

“It gets a little frustrating when you know you can put the ball down and end a set when you’re better than a team like that and they start pushing back and you just get a little fire lit under your butt,” Drennen said. “You have to put the ball down in order to get it done, so it’s really nice.”

Earning that two set advantage put the Sailors in the driver’s seat to put the game away in the third set and they did just that. 

Tied 8-8 in the third set, senior Holland DelGuerico delivered a kill for a Sailor lead. On match point, DelGuerico came through again, putting the ball down for the game winner in a 25-15 third set. 

The Sailors are 1-0 to start the season and have a solid foundation of talent to do some damage this year. The girls were ecstatic to start the season the way they did. 

“It was really nice to get out on the court and just be able to show up and do what we know how to do,” Drennen said. “It was really refreshing.”

Hall hopes the girls will feed off of this game’s energy and come back more confident than ever. 

“The only answer I have for confidence is hard work, so we just have to work hard and I think that confidence will come up because some of those girls, this was their first varsity match,” Hall said. 

The Sailors will remain at home for another non-league match against Moffat County on Saturday, Aug. 27. 

Hall encourages fans to come out and support the team, because the atmosphere on Wednesday night was unlike any other. 

“We had a great crowd there, and that’s always fun I think for the girls especially,” Hall said. “That’s what high school sports is all about, playing in front of your home crowd and playing well and playing together. Certainly we need to get back into the practice gym though and work on a few things.”

Steamboat Springs 3, Middle Park 0
MP 15 22 15 – 3
SS 25 25 25

To reach Tom Skulski, call 970-871-4240, email tskulski@SteamboatPilot.com.