Photo courtesy/Dawn Bivens
Torrington High School sophomores Avery West (13) and Reece Halley (20) go up for a block while junior Morgan Bates watches the action closely during Friday’s opening round loss to Thermopolis. The Lady Blazers battled back to win three straight to advance to the Class 3A State Volleyball Championships in Casper.
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account and connect your subscription to it by clicking here.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active, online-only subscription then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
BUFFALO – The Torrington High School volleyball team rattled off three straight wins to advance to the Class 3A State Volleyball Championships this weekend at the Casper Events Center.
The Lady Blazers went into Regionals as the No. 2 seed from the Southeast Quadrant but fell to Thermopolis 3-2 (25-18, 24-26, 21-25, 25-17, 15-9).
In the match, senior Dani Masterson tallied 22 kills, while sophomore Reece Halley added 10. Junior Morgan Bates dished out 44 assists, while Halley recorded a team-high two blocks.
That moved Torrington into the loser’s bracket side of the Regional Tournament, meaning they’d have to win the next two to reach the state tournament.
“As a team, we talked about having to play better volleyball,” coach Chelsi Jackson said.
The next day, the Lady Blazers did just that.
They came out and defeated Wheatland 3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-11) and Burns 3-0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-19).
Those wins locked the Lady Blazers into the state tournament, but there was still a game for seeding purposes awaiting Torrington against host Buffalo.
“It was a hard game, especially on their home court,” Jackson said. “It was very, very loud.”
Torrington fell in the opening set, but the Lady Blazers responded with three straight wins to clinch the match and earn the No. 3 seed for this weekend’s state tournament.
Junior Michaela Moorehouse led the team with 16 kills, while Halley added 10. The Lady Blazers served up seven aces, including three from senior Onalise Albaugh and two each from Moorehouse and Bates. Halley tallied three blocks, while Bates dished out 37 assists.
“The girls played with a lot of heart and character,” Jackson said. “They played some of the best volleyball of the season.”
The Lady Blazers will now turn their attention to the No. 2 seed Pinedale Wranglers on Thursday evening. The first serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Casper.
“From what I’ve seen, they seem pretty comparable to Buffalo, so it won’t be anything we can’t handle if we show up.”
