Prep Volleyball: Durango does it hard way to win

Steve Cunningham

Monday, Nov. 17, 1997 | 12:47 p.m.

Every time the curtain seemingly began to close on Durango's phenomenal volleyball season, the Trailblazers made sure there was an encore.

This past weekend at the 4A state tournament, Durango used everything in its arsenal to win the crown. The championship victory was easy -- the Trailblazers swept by Douglas, 15-2, 15-5, for the first volleyball title in school history.

It was the matches leading up to the finale which left coach Bob Kelly in wonderment.

"They really regained their focus after Friday," Kelly said. "To do what they did was an awesome display of heart and talent, will and determination. I think we ran the gamut on the emotional chart."

Durango's roller coaster of a weekend began Friday with a 10-15, 15-13, 15-8 loss to Douglas in the tournament's second round. The Trailblazers were their own worst enemies and the fired-up Tigers took advantage.

That loss dropped Durango into a Saturday morning match against two-time defending state champ Green Valley. The Trailblazers, perhaps with the loss to Douglas fresh on their minds, lost the first game to the Gators, 12-15. However, they responded to win the final two games, 15-4, 15-10, to gain a second chance at Douglas.

Kelly thought that victory erased all of the pain of Friday night from his team's minds.

"Once we beat Green Valley, I felt a great burden had been lifted from our shoulders," he said. "To come back and play Green Valley in their small gym, and almost all the fans were theirs, and win, that told me something."

Durango had to beat Douglas twice to earn the title. In the first match, the Trailblazers fell behind after the Tigers won the opening game, 15-8, but rallied to take the final two, 15-11, 15-10, to force one more match.

Kelly wasn't displeased with his team's performance in that match, even though they had to dig themselves out of a hole again.

"We didn't play that poorly," he said. "We just made some mistakes and they took advantage. In the second game, we started to block the ball, dig the ball and became more consistent with our passing."

That comeback fired up Durango and seemingly disheartened the Tigers for the finale. The Trailblazers jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the first game, and a 9-1 margin in the second. It wasn't until the final point was scored, though, that Kelly allowed himself to relax.

"Volleyball isn't like basketball, where you can watch the time tick off the clock," he said. "Anything could have happened."

Shannon Chase was named MVP of the event after racking up 21 kills in each of the final two matches and Sarah Gubler added 56 assists. That duo, along with Blair Wilkes, who has signed with Long Beach State, were the building blocks Kelly used when he took over the program at the new school five years ago.

Chase, Gubler and Wilkes came aboard after the Trailblazers went 0-16 in their inaugural season. As freshmen, they helped Durango win nine times; as sophomores, there were 18 wins and a fifth-place finish; a year ago, Durango racked up 33 victories and lost to Green Valley in the championship match.

And to finish off the project, Durango won 39 matches this season. Kelly, who won five state titles at Clark, said he knew if his players worked hard, that kind of success could come to the Trailblazers.

"It wasn't easy," he said. "If they were willing to put in the time, it was possible. They were willing to do that and now, they have the big reward."