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Demons volleyball digs out a W against Wildcats

The third game set the tone for the Durango High School volleyball team against Fruita Monument on Saturday in Durango.

DHS and Fruita Monument split the first two sets, each winning 25-23, before the Demons exploded for a 25-9 win in Game 3.

They held on in the fourth game 25-23 to finalize a 3-1 win and an unbeaten league start.

DHS (9-4, 2-0 Southwestern League) trailed 23-19 in the first game with senior libero Sarah Lawton at the line. She held serve through a six-point run to close out the game and put DHS up 1-0 in the match.

“Of course it’s important to get the serve in, but you really want to be aggressive to get their pass off the net so you can have an advantage,” said Lawton, daughter of Rich and Sue Lawton.

Lawton made an impact all over the floor with 49 digs and 29 assists for the double-double.

DHS senior setter Logan Clark also had a double-double with a team-high 30 assists and 10 digs.

Neither team could grab a decisive lead in the first two sets. They both came down to endgame play.

Fruita Monument (5-5, 1-3 SWL) blinked in the first game, and DHS couldn’t pull out the second game.

The match changed at the start of the third game when DHS rushed out to an 8-3 lead that eventually grew to 15-6 and 22-7.

“I think our serving went really well, as well as, when we did receive the ball back, we were able to hit it aggressively,” said senior middle blocker Laura Lieb, daughter of Bobby and Meredith Lieb.

Lieb tied for the team lead with 13 kills, while adding 15 digs for a double-double, as well.

Maddie Robertson also had 13 kills in the match.

The Demons had trouble hitting around Fruita Monument’s block at times but covered it more often than not, leading to the big dig totals.

DHS changed the match from the serving line, though.

The Demons turned 11 aces as a team and kept the Wildcats out of system consistently.

Fruita Monument leaned more on the aggressive side with its serving, which led to more errors.

“I’d rather have a service error than serve a lollipop and have the middle get an easy kill,” Fruita Monument head coach Bob Richardson said. “Even though the points are the same, they’re weighted different emotionally.”

The win elevated the Demons to their first 2-0 start in the SWL since 2012.

DHS will hit the road for its next two games, a two-day SWL swing against CHSAA Class 4A No. 9 Montrose and a return game against Fruita Monument.

“That’s huge,” Lawton said of the 2-0 start. “That gives us a lot of confidence. We have a lot of hard matches coming up, but that’s a good way to start.”

kgrabowski@durangoherald.com

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