Kelley Riffilato and her team took a glass-half-full approach to their results in the Discovery Canyon tournament last weekend. The Demons were swept in all four of their matches, but Riffilato was grateful for the experience.
Durango first played Valor Christian, the No. 1 team in the state with multiple Division 1 volleyball players. The Demons then lost to Fort Collins before losing matches featuring close sets against Green Mountain and Longmont. All four of those aforementioned teams have a combined record of 71-21.
“I was proud of the kids,” Riffilato said. “We scored 17 points in the third set (against Valor Christian) against amazing Division I athletes. We didn't back down and every set we just continued to get better … We were there to learn, and I felt like every team was a top-caliber team. It wasn't like we played just anybody, the one bracket that we were in was the top half of the tournament.”
The Durango squad also saw different offensive and defensive approaches from teams that they wouldn’t see in the Western Slope league, according to Riffilato.
Now, the Demons are in a similar spot to last year. Durango was a No. 19 seed in regionals last season, and it is once again a No. 19 seed this season.
Last season, the Demons beat both Green Mountain and Battle Mountain to become the No. 12 seed in the state playoff bracket. This season, Durango will play sixth-seeded Palisade and No. 31-seed Falcon at Palisade on Saturday.
Despite dealing with some injuries during league play, Riffilato believes it made her squad stronger.
“We have way more depth because kids got on the court and I just feel like we're battle-tested,” she said.
The Demons also improved defensively going up against the giant blockers they faced last weekend, which will help them for the playoffs.
“It's hard to just erase the large bodies we were playing against,” Riffilato said. “Large, large bodies. You can tell that the kids on the Front Range play 12 months of the year. The biggest thing is that they're so savvy and so crafty with like shots, and they just have great eyes and great skill.”
Riffilato is also happy her team will travel to Palisade rather than the Front Range, which is already a tough trip.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
