Green River Volleyball

By GARY ARRINGTON Sports writer

Lady Pirates struggle in volleyball
The Green River High Lady Pirates are striving to improve this season as they work to stop their inconsistency. They are playing most teams tough but end up losing the matches. Last week saw Green River play Altamont close but still come up short. The scores last week were 26-24, 25-23 and 25-18. With a break here or there, Green River could have won either of the first two games.
Last week saw the Pirates struggle with Whitehorse. Whitehorse won the match 25-13, 25-21, 18-25 and 25-18.
The Pirates had also participated in a tournament at San Juan that featured teams from three states. In pool play, Green River played Virgin Valley from Nevada, Shiprock from New Mexico, Union, Grand, Canyon View, Manti, San Juan and Salem Hills.
In the D bracket, the Pirates finished second to Monument Valley.
According to coach Burke Simmons, Brandi Webster is starting to hit harder from the middle and the seniors are stepping up their game. Crosby Hatt, Bailey Packer and Lindsey Spadafora are improving each game. Jill Vetere hurt her shoulder and her results are still pending.
Coach Simmons talked about his team, “We have a lot of good volleys but we are too inconsistent to pull off a win. We are struggling when it comes to playing as a team. Our team effort needs to improve if we are to have any success this season. We will keep working on it though and I think we can get better.”
On Oct. 3-4, the Green River Pirate girls volleyball team ventured on their annual – out of state and then back into Utah – volleyball games with Navajo Mountain and Monument Valley. The trip is long, the scenery is breath taking and the games were fun and challenging.
Navajo Mountain was the first game for the Pirates. After the J.V. girls struggled a bit but made their individual matches competitive, the varsity girls wasted little time in shaking off the long miles and a little dust to take the Navajo Mountain Jaguars in three matches to seal the game.
The next day saw the girls playing in arguably the most picturesque setting for a high school in all of Utah or surrounding states for that matter. They met the Monument Valley Cougars who with playing at home and having seen and beaten the Pirates once before at a pre-season tournament had their game faces on.
The first match was taken by the Cougars but the Pirates came back and took the second. Each match was to the wire but the Pirates couldn’t take it over the top on the subsequent matches and lost the game.
The lady Pirates won their last home volleyball game against Debeque, Colo. on Oct. 21.
They will go to Monticello for their last region game on Oct. 23.
Oct. 27 the Lady Pirates had a play-off game to see if they go to State on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.