Flipping the script

WORLAND - With their backs against the wall and facing a tough path to the 3A State tournament, the Worland Lady Warriors volleyball team gave their best performance of the year, so far, ripping off three-straight victories to finish third at the 3A East regional tournament, locking up their fourth-consecutive trip to the state tournament in the process.

"It was a good weekend and so fun. It was all about their will to win. Our girls wanted to go to state and their backs were against the wall and they were extremely resilient and showed some grit. They were pedal to the metal," said WHS volleyball coach Brittany Miller.

The Lady Warriors, Saturday in Newcastle, were slated with three potential matches, two of which were loser-out matches.

The first match was against a rebuilding Newcastle Lady Dogies team. Worland cruised to a 3-0 (25-6, 25-17, 25-15) victory over Newcastle, setting up a showdown with rival, the Buffalo in a winner qualifies for state, while the loser calls it a season.

In the regular season, Buffalo was a team Worland had a hard time figuring out, losing both contests to them, 3-2 on Sept. 22 and 3-1 on Oct. 12.

Although, Saturday, with a state tourney bid on the line, the Lady Warriors solved the Lady Bison riddle and did so in convincing fashion, winning 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-16).

Games 1 and 2 the Lady Warriors jumped out to quick leads and held Buffalo at a distance. Game 3 was closer at the start with the Lady Bison holding an 8-6 lead at one point. Undeterred, Worland responded with an 11-1 run to take command of the game, firing up the Worland faithful, who traveled to Newcastle, with each point.

The Lady Bison attempted one last push but the Lady Warriors held their ground and countered with a small run of their own. Senior Saige Jones recorded the 25th point with a kill that secured her team a spot in the 2017 3A State tournament.

The Lady Warriors recorded 13 aces against Buffalo, to which Miller credited toward the team's victory.

"We served aggressively and served for the ball not to cross the net. Every single server contributed to that which was really fun," said Miller about her team's serving.

After taking down Buffalo, Worland had one more match on the day, the third-place match against the Torrington Lady Trailblazers, the same team who beat them 3-1 the previous day.

Still riding the momentum from the Buffalo victory, the Lady Warriors were firing on all cylinders again taking down the Lady Trailblazers 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-16) to place third in the tournament.

"The team we see in practice was the team we saw on the court. They were not afraid to swing at the ball, they played to win.

"We've been focusing on something every single week the entire season, with the goal of it all coming together at regionals. I really felt like it all came together, everything we talked about on and off the court and mentally all lit at the same time Saturday and that's what you want to see. I was so pleased with them," said Miller.

Doling out credit for Saturday's turnaround was easy for Miller, it was an entire team effort. Seniors Jones, Jaycee Page and Casey Wassum stepped up their leadership while juniors Emily Baumstarck, McKenna Butte, Alexa Caballero, Caitlin Cottrell, Payton McEndree, sophomore Casey Wassum and freshmen Darla Hernandez and Denali Jones made plays when needed.

"It was true team effort, we had some of our juniors, sophomores and freshmen giving it everything they could. Our seniors were a lot more vocal than they've been, we needed that too because they felt the sense of urgency. Overall, we had a huge team effort and I truly believe our wins were because we out-teamed every one Saturday," said Miller.

The Lady Warriors look like a team that is hitting their peak at the precise moment you want a team to, and with a championship only three victories away Saturday's performance was a huge confidence builder for the team.

"It does and I think it does for the team too," said Miller when asked if there is a boost of confidence for her team heading into the state tournament. "When you go through some of those losses along the way it's really easy for a team to shut down or fall apart. They've really gone the distance, which goes with our two themes 'With each other, for each other' and 'Go the distance'. They've stuck with each and continued to improve, improve, improve and get through some obstacles. I can't wait to see what they do at state."

Another confidence booster for the Lady Warriors has to be what looks like a newly wide-open championship field. The Rawlins Lady Outlaws, a team considered among the best not just in 3A but the entire state and had not lost to a 3A team yet this season, lost 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-15) to Douglas in the 3A East regional tournament.