Blues seek redemption at home tourney

A year ago, a fourth-place finish against top West Texas competition wouldn’t have been so bad in the eyes of the Lady Blues volleyball team, but this team is different.

The Blues entered the Shallowater Tournament with expectations of winning, but a pair of tough Saturday losses derailed Graham’s plans for dominance.

“I think the girls realized that there will be times when we’re not happy with the outcome and you have to move on,” head coach Marci Faulk said. “I think that’s what happened with the Denver City game.”

The Blues swept Friday’s pool play with dominance over Lubbock Christian, Brownfield and Friona, averaging over 11 points per set more than their opponents. Saturday morning’s game against Snyder looked to be a continuation of that success as the Blues took the first set 25-11 and got the second set 25-13.

“That’s probably the best game we’ve had all year,” Faulk said. “Everything was going our way. I thought we set the tone for the day.”

But the tide turned for the Blues against No. 10-ranked Denver City. Graham took the first set against Denver City with relative ease, winning 25-17. The second set would prove to be the Blues undoing as Denver City broke the 23-all tie to get the final two points, and followed with a 25-12 dismantling of Graham.

“We knew it would be tough,” Faulk said.

For the rest of this story, pick up a copy of Wednesday’s Graham Leader, or subscribe to our online edition.