Finishing with a home win didn’t happen for Moffat County High School volleyball Tuesday night, but there’s still a shot to bump up the W column from last season.

The Lady Bulldogs are 5-17 on the year following a 3-0 non-conference loss to Grand Junction’s Central High School, as the Warriors won, 25-15, 25-12 and 25-11.

Moffat County girls came out ready to play, as seniors Emma Samuelson and Mattie Jo Duzik were prepared to make their last game in the Dog Pound count, but slowly but surely, the first set got away from them after being tied at 10, and the slippery slope only got worse as Warriors kept the energy in their favor, leading by as much as 20-7 in the second set and 21-7 in the third.

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“We definitely need the win, because we’re staying in the RPI (rankings) for regionals,” said Central coach Brittany Adams, adding that an upcoming five-game tournament on the Front Range may get them to the next level.

MCHS head coach Erin Knez said her players underestimated the abilities of the 4-14 5A opponents, who despite being at the bottom of the 5A/4A Southwestern League, had plenty to show late in their season.

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“They’re still a 5A school, so their pool to pull from, even from JV, is still going to be a good group,” Knez said. “They were a hard-hitting team but a slow-paced team, and that’s really hard to adjust to.”

Despite good service and passing, both around an 80 percent success rate, Lady Dogs took a beating with digs, giving the Warriors easy points, and despite plenty of attacks, only about four kills came of the effort, two for Duzik, one each for Samuelson and Morgan Nelson.

Samuelson, still in as the team’s designated setter and switching from libero, said the challenge of taking on the new position is a fun one, even with the loss, though she certainly would have preferred the win, on the floor for the whole game.

“You’re kind of like the quarterback,” she said.

The MCHS season comes to a close Thursday in Aspen as the Lady Dogs play the Skiers for their final game, and the desire to win one more is greater than ever, Knez said.

“They’re really going to come out swinging,” she said.

Contact Andy Bockelman at 970-875-1793 or Contact Andy Bockelman at 970-875-1793 or abockelman@CraigDailyPress.com or follow him on Twitter @CDP_Sports.Contact Andy Bockelman at 970-875-1793 or abockelman@CraigDailyPress.com or follow him on Twitter @CDP_Sports.