Camp Verde High School’s volleyball team opened its season with a 3-0 loss on the road at Anthem Preparatory Academy on Thursday, Aug. 31.
The Cowboys [0-1] played strong in the first two sets, despite dropping both, before a rough final set ended it.
“The girls came out on fire, full of energy and never let a ball hit the ground. They carried that energy into the second set and continued to have great attitudes but unfortunately couldn’t gain control over the set and came up short,” head coach Britney Armstrong said. “The third and final set was rough.”
Heading into the season, improving attitude on the court was one of the big focuses. The improvement showed through most of the match.
“Attitudes started off really strong tonight. Every girl out there was fired up and ready to play. We had multiple saves that not only kept the crowd excited but also fueled our energy and kept us going. It was great to see them playing their hearts out and having fun,” Armstrong said.
However in the decisive third set, things changed.
“Attitudes definitely took a nose dive in the third and final set,” she said.
With a renewed energy, the Cowboys must learn how to channel it into stronger play on the court, she said.
The host Eagles have a number of seniors with experience playing together and were able to dictate the tempo of play.
Camp Verde struggled to piece together solid attacks, namely the connection between passer and setter. If the setter did get a good ball up, then finishing would be lacking too.
The highlight for the visiting Cowboys was serving, with only three missed serves for the match.
“Anthem Prep was not an easy team and we contended with them when they kept sight of that goal. They know what that feels like now and they also know what it feels like to lose sight of that goal and watch everything crumble,” Armstrong said. “They know which feeling was better and I know they can and will do it again.”
Moving forward the team played in 2017 Goldwater Volleyball Festival on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 1 and 2, before heading to Chino Valley High School for a match on Sept. 5. Results were not available at press time.
The Cowboys play in the Seventh Annual Spartan Classic on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 8 and 9, in Ash Fork.
