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Moffat County High School's volleyball team has big expectations

Luke Graham
Moffat County High School volleyball seniors Markie Workman, center, and, clockwise from left, Angie Charchalis, Kari Griffin, Sharina Simpson, Meghan Innes, Amy Dilldine and Mackenzie Maneotis stand at practice Tuesday.
Courtesy Photo

— One look at Moffat County High School’s practice schedule and it’s easy to see its expectations.

Add sprint after sprint on Monday to a mile run followed by 30 minutes of hill climbs Tuesday morning and more sprints Tuesday evening and it wouldn’t be hard to mistake them for the cross-country team.

But for the seven seniors on the team, this is what they want. This is the type of practice that will breed success, the seniors believe.



They want to be competitive. They want to be the top team in the league. But maybe most of all, they want to make their last year a memorable one.

“We want to go as far as we can,” Meghan Innes said. “Definitely further than last year.”



Further than last year would mean advancing past the last 16 teams in the state.

Last year, Moffat County came into the district tournament in Battle Mountain as an underdog, before being one of the two teams in the tournament to advance to the round of 16.

This year, however, the team will sneak up on no one.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say we were an underdog,” Markie Workman said. “But this year, we’re all seniors so that’s all the motivation we need.”

Whatever the motivation is for the season, it’s safe to assume the Bulldogs will be a much better team.

Along with Innes and Workman, Moffat County returns seniors Sharina Simpson, Mackenzie Maneotis, Amy Dilldine, Angie Charchalis and Kari Griffin.

Last year, Dilldine and Charchalis were named to the all-league team.

Possibly the biggest assist the team will get is being in coach Brianna Montgomery’s program for a full year.

Montgomery started as coach six weeks into last season.

For the seven seniors it was a tough transition.

Players were moved around to positions they’d never played. New philosophies were taught.

But the team worked through it and the seven seniors said there is no one they’d rather play for.

“It’s nice,” Charchalis said. “It’s nice to have that consistency. We really like her.”

Although the season still is two weeks away, Montgomery – an intense competitor herself – said the seniors still have work to do.

“They will control the varsity,” Montgomery said. “They work well together but they need to learn what their roles are. They’re all strong willed. We’re just trying to find their roles.”

One role Montgomery knows the seniors will play is as leaders of a team with big hopes and big goals.

“They’re all good athletes and they’re all super-competitive,” Montgomery said. “It’s very nice as a coach to have seven seniors.”


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