The Camp Verde Middle School Cowboys volleyball team attempted to keep its perfect record untouched, but it came down to the final set.
The Cowboys hosted the Mingus Rams of Clarkdale-Jerome on Thursday, Sept. 13. With the Cowboys winning the first set and the Rams winning the second, the team who would grasp the victory had to be determined in the third set, and the Rams took the win after some fatal Cowboy errors. The Rams won the game, 2-1.
Despite losing for the first time this season, Cowboys Head Coach Shelly Sarkesian was proud of the way her girls played.
“I think they played amazing,” Sarkesian said. “They played an amazing game, worked together as a team but just had some errors.”
The Cowboys dominated the court in the first set. Kayla Hackett of Camp Verde scored the first point of the game on her serve. The Cowboys took control of the scoreboard, never allowing the Rams to get within two points. There were long-lasting rallies between the two teams throughout the entire set, and Camp Verde came out with the point on the majority of them. Jordan Hudspeth then scored four points in a row on four of her serves. Katrina Esparza and Marisa Presmyk added to the Cowboys score with a couple of kills, and the Cowboys took the lead of the best-of-three series, winning 25-15.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Sept. 19, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.