Eagle Valley volleyball defeats No. 5 Montrose

GYPSUM — Well, well, well.

Eagle Valley volleyball had a whale of an opener on Saturday, taking down No. 5-ranked Montrose in three sets, 25-21, 25-13, 25-23, in Gypsum.

That result might just capture the state’s attention. Not to put the cart before the horse, but the Indians have been down to the Denver Coliseum the last three years.

“Our girls played absolutely solid all the way around,” Devils coach Jackie Rindy said. “We had great passing. Molly Jewett set everything up and Kylie Martin put the ball down all day.”

Keep in mind that Miss Martin is no longer at middle blocker, but outside in a new offensive scheme, to which Eagle Valley seems to be adapting.

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Coach Rindy had postgame plaudits for Haley Carpenter, who was effective in serving Montrose off system, as well as libero Jillian Byron and the players new to varsity getting their feet wet.

“It’s a huge confidence boost going into the season,” Rindy said.

Eagle Valley (1-0) heads to Central on Tuesday.

GYPSUM

Devils soccer falls to Green Mountain

Eagle Valley soccer lost its opener on Saturday, 2-1, at Ramunno Field in Gypsum.

If this sounds familiar, it is — a tough loss late to Green Mountain this year, whereas it was Glenwood Springs last fall.

If it goes to script, then the Devils should win their next seven, just as they did last year.

“The team understands all the preseason work they did, the physical work,” Devils coach Bratzo Horruitiner said. “They understand our way of playing. We just need to shave a few mistakes. Last year’s opener was the same thing.”

Carlos Chavez scored the equalizer in the second half against Green Mountain, but the visitors got a penalty kick with 15 minutes left in regulation.

The Devils open league play on Tuesday when they host Battle Mountain at 6 p.m.

LAFAYETTE

Saints spikers lose heartbreaker

Losing isn’t fun, but it was a promising start for Vail Christian volleyball in a 28-26, 21-25, 19-25, 26-24, 15-10 defeat to Caliche at the Alexander Dawson School in Lafayette on Saturday.

After graduating nine seniors, this was a solid start for the Saints.

“I think they really stepped up to the plate,” Vail Christian coach Sara Carlton said. “We played well together as a brand-new team.”

Vail Christian opens 2A Slope play on Friday when it hosts North Park at 6:30 p.m.

FRUITA

Huskies volleyball drops opener

This is why a volleyball team has 23 matches.

Match No. 1 did not go well for Battle Mountain in a 25-16, 23-25, 25-13, 25-17 loss at Fruita Monument on Saturday.

“We just found out that with our size and experience, we’re not going to be allowed to make a lot of unforced errors,” Huskies coach Jason Fitzgerald said.

The good news is that the Huskies have a lot of time to work out the kinks as they don’t play until Sept. 9 when they are at Palisade.

Sports Editor Chris Freud can be reached at 970-748-2934, cfreud@vaildaily.com and @cfreud.