Girls volleyball fares well at tourney

Their first weekend of action has already given the Green River High School Volleyball Team a chance to compete against schools both large and small.

The Lady Wolves competed in a tournament in Cokeville Aug. 28 and 29, pitting them against competition from Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. The team finished the tournament with a 4-2 record.

“I could tell we were getting better each time we played,” head coach Rikki Shantz said.

Shantz said the team suffered from a slow start at the beginning of the tournament, dropping their first match against a 5A team from Alta, Utah. During that game, the team registered a 14 percent hit efficiency rating, a statistic that would increase throughout the tournament.

After their loss to Alta, Utah, the team faced the Cokeville squad in a three-set victory for the Lady Wolves. Shantz said the team improved their passing and serving against Cokeville, leading the Lady Wolves to 17 serve aces against the Cokeville team. After Cokeville, the team finished out their Friday night matches against a team from Grace, Idaho.

Shantz said both teams were tired after their day of competition, saying the Lady Wolves pulled through to get the job done in five sets. Their victories allowed the team to compete against Mountain View High School Saturday morning, which also ended in the Lady Wolves’ favor after five sets. Shantz said the match allowed the team to practice hitting around a tall blocker at the net. Shantz also said she was impressed with the team showing a lot of heart in that match, coming back from a two-set deficit midway through the match.

Following Mountain View, the team faced Alta, Utah, in a second match to determine who would move on to the championship game. This time, the Lady Wolves were able to edge out the Utah team in five matches.

Their victory against Alta, Utah, allowed the Lady Wolves to compete against Gillette in the championship match. Green River one its first set 25-13, but lost the following two sets 19-25 and 20-25. The Lady Wolves rallied during the fourth set, winning 25-19, but ultimately fell to Gillette 11-15 in the final set.

This weekend, the team will travel to Gillette for another tournament, with the possibility to get back at Gillette for their earlier loss. Shantz said she’s always having the team work on their passing and serving, and looks forward to the girls’ match against Stevens High School from Rapid City, S.D., during the tournament.

Shantz said the team runs a very fast offense and if the Lady Wolves can block them, Shantz believes the team will be able to block any of the other teams they will compete against in Wyoming.