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Steamboat Springs volleyball team gets regional nod

Luke Graham

— Steamboat Springs High School volleyball coach Wendy Hall wouldn’t go as far as saying she was glued to her computer the past week.

But inevitably, one of the first windows brought up in the browser was http://www.maxpreps.com, which she refreshed periodically to see if standings had changed.

The site determined the 36 Class 4A volleyball teams that qualified for 12 regional pools this weekend.



On Tuesday, Steamboat found out it had come in as the 31st seed.

The team will join a three-team pool with overall No. 6 seed and host Montrose. Mountain View, seeded 19th, will round out the region.



“I was trying not to be obsessed over it,” Hall said. “But I’ve followed it the last couple weeks. We dropped a little further than I was expecting.”

The region sets up with one winner advancing to the state tournament.

Steamboat opens play at 10 a.m. Saturday against Montrose. The team then plays at noon against Mountain View.

Montrose went 19-4 on the season and has several wins against Western Slope teams including Battle Mountain, Eagle Valley, Palisade and Delta.

Mountain View went 14-9.

“We have good momentum right now,” Hall said. “We’re playing our best volleyball of the season right now. Our team has showed a ton of growth in play and in their maturity. They handle tougher situations better and their trust level has grown.”

Hall is familiar with Montrose, having coached with Indians coach Shane Forrest during all-state games in the past. Hall said Montrose is an athletic team with multiple offensive weapons. Although Steamboat has been able to lean on its defense throughout the year, Hall said getting blocks and tips at the net will be key against Montrose.

Hall didn’t know much about Mountain View, but to get through the region, Steamboat almost assuredly needs a win against Montrose.

The good thing, Hall said, is that Steamboat enters tournament play with little outside expectations. She has encouraged her team this week to play loose and let things fall where they may.

“It’s actually a really stressful place to be the No. 1 seed,” Hall said. “It’s been awhile, but we’ve been there before. It’s a stressful week when everyone expects you to go on.

“They’re not going to overlook us. Their kids will be ready to play. But I do feel like we have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Western Slope League champion Battle Mountain was the highest seeded team from the area, earning the right to host a region as the No. 5 overall seed.

To reach Luke Graham, call 970-871-4229, email lgraham@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @LukeGraham


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