March 18, 2024

Tigerhawks ousted by No. 9 W-G

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WOODWARD — A poor first set didn’t deter the Colfax-Mingo volleyball team against Class 2A No. 9 Woodward-Granger on Monday night.

The Hawks jumped out to an early lead in the opening set, but the Tigerhawks didn’t quit. They didn’t stop playing when they faced two match points in the third set.

In the end, Colfax-Mingo came up short, but battled their way to a fourth set and nearly pulled off a win in set two during the Hawks’ 25-10, 25-23, 24-26, 25-14 home win in 2A Region 4 quarterfinal action.

“We came out extremely flat in that first set, and usually it’s difficult for us to get the momentum back,” Colfax-Mingo coach Michelle Grant said. “We fought back, but we didn’t have it in the end to pull it out.”

Woodward-Granger (31-7) advanced to Thursday’s regional semifinal where it hosts perennial powerhouse Grundy Center.

The Spartans swept Ogden on Tuesday night in another quarterfinal match.

The Tigerhawks were forced to play from behind against W-G on Monday. The Hawks turned an 8-5 lead into 21-7 advantage in the first set. Middle hitter Olivia McCune finished off the victory with three kills and an ace.

Behind their best hitter, junior Ries Wilson, Colfax-Mingo improved its play in the second set. Wilson recorded four kills and a block in the Tigerhawks’ first six points to give the visitors an early lead.

Two McCune kills and three aces by Alyssa Bice gave the Hawks an 11-6 advantage.

The Tigerhawks rallied. A pair of kills by senior Amy Russell trimmed the hosts lead to 12-11 and a W-G hitting error helped even the set at 13-all. The Hawks’ lead quickly grew back to four, but Wilson made sure the Tigerhawks stayed close.

The set was tied at 22-all before the Hawks scored three of the next four points to secure a narrow win and a 2-0 advantage.

“After a poor first set, I think we got back into the match right away with two quick points in the second set,” Grant said. “That showed we were back to playing like we can. For us to not stay dull after the first set was a big deal for us.”

Grant used both of her timeouts early in the third set. The Tigerhawks trailed 7-3 and then 11-5 but refused to throw in the towel. Back-to-back kills by Russell closed the gap to 13-9 and then consecutive kills from Wilson kept the Tigerhawks’ deficit at four a bit later.

The Hawks led 20-14 when Colfax-Mingo (18-11) made a comeback with three consecutive points. The run started with a Wilson ace, continued with a block by sophomore Mackensie Brown and finished with a kill by senior Aranda Woods.

Russell’s kill and a W-G net violation got the Tigerhawks within one. C-M fought off two match points before tying the set at 24-all and then winning it two points later with a Russell blast.

“We made our run back into the match without a timeout. We fought off two set points without a timeout,” Grant said. “They came together as a team against a really good opponent, so that was nice to see.”

Wilson and McCune went back-and-forth for their teams early in the fourth set. With the frame knotted at 6-all, Woodward-Granger rolled off four straight points to grab an advantage it wouldn’t give up.

The Hawks closed out the match behind several kills from Mary Hansen and a few timely aces by McCune. The win was the Hawks 16th in their last 17 matches.

“It may have ended earlier than we wanted to, but most teams end the season on a loss,” Grant said. “It’s going to hurt no matter what, unless we had won the state title. It sucks it’s this early. We were in a tough region.”

Wilson led the Tigerhawks with 21 kills and 23 digs, while Russell added 10 kills and 17 digs. Junior setter Megan Earles chipped in 28 assists and seven digs and senior Dakota Hostetter added nine digs.

Grant said goodbye to Russell, Woods and Hostetter, but she welcomes back Wilson, Earles, sophomore libero Chelsea Russell and a host of others to build off one of the best seasons Colfax-Mingo’s put together in the last 20 years.

“We have gotten progressively better. Next year is a scary year though because of what our expectations will be,” Grant said. “We need work. We have holes that we need to fill. Everyone who is back can play their positions well, but who fills the holes of the ones that are leaving? The work has to be done. We have to see girls in the gym in the offseason.”