Lady Panthers survive recent losses to make regional volleyball play

Photo by Wayne Crick Delta junior Brittanny Brasfield makes contact with a kill shot by a Summit player last week. The Lady Panthers took the match to five sets before falling 3-2; 16-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-18, and 10-15. Delta made the playoffs as the number 29 seed.At last look, Delta High School's volleyball team was still ranked 29th in the Maxpreps Freeman volleyball rankings. That could change with last week's double losses to Glenwood Springs and Summit.

Those rankings are updated every Thursday and Monday.

Delta had one of its Glenwood Springs letdowns last Thursday, Oct. 25. The Lady Demons seem to have Delta's number when the Panthers come to town. Last week's visit was one of those days. Delta had to battle a very determined Demons squad on every point.

Neither team put together a wild run that would have produced an easy winner. The two teams traded points for most of the first set with Delta easing to a 24-21 lead late. Somewhere along the final six points for the Lady Demons, Delta lost the wheels on their wagon. Glenwood surprised the Panthers with a big run to score a 27-25 win.

Glenwood took control early in the second set and had a sizeable lead before Delta began a rally. Unfortunately, the Demons were able to stop the rally and pulled off a 25-17 win.

Another see-saw battle was waged in set three. In the end, Glenwood had too much moxy and had a spurt that produced a 25-23 decision.

Delta (12-11 overall and 6-6 league) finished the regular season in third place. Battle Mountain had the same league mark Delta had, but they were one game back in overall standings at 11-11.

Summit came to town on Saturday. The Lady Tigers (11-11 and 5-7) came a long way as the season progressed to score some impressive wins over the top three in league standings. After going 2-8 in their first 10 matches, the Lady Tigers have won nine of the last 12 contests played, including a seven-match win streak.

Against the Tigers, Delta started slow and fell in set one (25-16). Delta played better in set two with a run that left them short in a 25-22 loss.

Trailing 2-0 in match-play, the Lady Panthers rallied in the next two sets to earn wins of 25-15 and 25-18 to tie the match at 2-2.

Delta fell behind in set five but was working on a comeback when they suffered a letdown that turned into a 15-10 loss.

Palisade finished at the top of the league standings with a record of 12-2 in league play and 15-8 overall. Glenwood Springs was second at 9-3 and 15-7.

Summit finished the regular season with records of 5-7 and 11-11.

Delta coach Renee Cronenberg was disappointed with the loss but noted her squad still had a shot at making the playoffs. "Our fate is in the hands of someone other than ourselves," noted Cronenberg.

Some questionable calls down the stretch left coaches and fans alike scratching their heads.

The Panthers managed to get a second chance as they enter the 2012 4A Volleyball Regionals as the number 29 seed. Delta is part of a three-team tournament to be hosted by the number eight seed, Durango, on Saturday (Oct. 3). Joining the Panthers and Demons is number 17 seed Pueblo West.

Delta plays Pueblo West to start Saturday's action. Winners from the 12 regional competitions will advance to the State Championships in Denver.

• < Prev
• Next >