DOUGLAS – The Torrington High School volleyball team started strong at the annual Douglas Volleyball Invitational but struggled to finish those games.
The Lady Blazers ended the weekend with a 2-4 record with their lone wins coming against 3A East Conference foes Buffalo and Newcastle.
“We started off really well,” THS coach Chelsi Jackson said. “We were right there with Wright, who is really good. We just couldn’t pull it off.”
Wright ended up handing Torrington two losses over the course of the tournament en route to reaching the finals against Douglas.
In the opening match against Wright, the Panthers knocked off the Blazers, 2-0 (25-22, 25-21).
Brielle Bivens and Reece Halley led the team in kills with four apiece, while Katelynn Wright with eight assists.
In the next game, Torrington fell to Pine Bluffs who’s roster sports four players standing over six feet tall.
The Lady Blazers took game one 25-17, but the Lady Hornets bounced back to win the final two sets 25-11, 25-6.
“We are having a hard time finishing a little bit,” Jackson said. “I think that is due to having a young team who isn’t used to the varsity level yet.”
Nakalyn Garner had three kills, while Morgan Bates had eight set assists and eight digs. Bivens had six digs.
Against Newcastle, Torrington picked up its first win of the season, knocking off the Lady Dogies 25-15, 11-25, 15-1.
Bivens had five kills, while Kameron Stitt had eight digs and three aces.
In the rematch with Wright, it was all Panthers, winning 25-7, 25-11
Bivens had nine digs, and Stitt added eight in the loss.
Against Buffalo, the Lady Bison won the first set 25-19, but Torrington responded with a 25-19, 15-8 wins to claim the second victory of the tournament, setting up a match with the Southeast Lady Cyclones.
Michaela Moorehouse led the team with six kills against Buffalo, while Bivens had five aces and seven digs. Stitt had 11 digs, and Moorehouse added 10.
In the final game of the tournament, Southeast knocked off Torrington, 25-22, 25-10.
Bivens had eight digs, while Avery West had two blocks.
The Lady Blazers will travel to Rawlins for a weekend tournament on Sept. 7-8.
