Dominique Davis
The Paw Print
CANYON, TEXAS — The Grizzly women’s volleyball team headed south early last Thursday for the West Texas A&M Lady Buff Classic. The opening day, they played their first match against Texas- Permian Basin.
Playing in what is called “the box”, the Grizzlies seemed to overcome the heat and humidity fairly well, sweeping the Falcons in three games. Although getting the win, it wasn’t easy. The Falcons stayed competitive the whole time with the scores being 25-20, 26-24, and 25-22.
Courtesy Photo: Dominique Davis
After beating the Falcons in three that morning, the Grizzlies fell 12-25, 25-23, 25-14, 25-27, 17-19 to Eastern New Mexico later that day. It was a tough loss, but the ladies battled it out until the end. Sophomore Megan Tapia was a key player during Friday’s games. She recorded 26 kills total, 13 in each match.
The Grizzlies started off great during the second day of play at the Lady Buff Classic. They dominated against Texas Woman’s University 25-19, 25-16, 25-16.
As a team, the Grizzlies hit an impressive .407 against the Pioneers, with a total of 45 kills and just 10 errors. Junior Dominique Davis hit a career best .448 with 16 kills and 3 errors. Along with Davis, three other Grizzly players hit a .400 or better. Sophomore Megan Tapia hit .438, sophomore Deprece Washington hit .417, and sophomore setter Gabriella Rifilato hit .600.
The Grizzlies last game of the tournament however, did not end as well as they had expected. Losing three straight sets to Angelo State on Saturday evening, the Grizzlies definitely struggled on their side of the net. Falling 16-25, 14-25, 19-25, the Belles outhit the Grizzlies .337 to .043.
Although the Grizzlies never gave up the fight, it just was not enough to pull out the win. Ending the tournament with a 2-2 record, the Grizzlies are more than excited for the Holiday Inn Crossroad Classic tournament hosted by Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction, CO next weekend. They will be back in action against four more tough teams.
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