Following a season in which they were unable to win a match in front of their fans, Moffat County volleyball coaches and players are feeling far more at ease with how the future is looking.

MCHS’s final home event of the fall saw the Bulldogs pitted against Gunnison Saturday afternoon, with the Bulldogs swept in a game that ensured the visiting Cowboys a 3A Western Slope League championship.

At 16-2, Gunnison’s reputation preceded them, yet the MoCo girls stayed competitive throughout all three sets — 25-18, 25-19, 25-23 — in what coach Becca Caldwell proclaimed was one of the Bulldogs’ best games of the season.

“They played really well in this one, very proud of them. I think we scored more on Gunnison than anybody in a while,” she said. “They knew this one would be hard, but they have good attitudes coming into things like this. We all knew where they sat in the state, but it didn’t scare them. They just played harder. Our defense was immaculate.”

MCHS had a five-point run at the close of the day at match point, helped along by senior Olivia Cordova at the service line. While she picked up an ace against the Cowboys in that time, her final serve sailed a little too high and far.

“I was just thinking, ‘don’t rush it, just make it over,'” Cordova said of the high-pressure moment. “I think I didn’t scoot back enough for that last one, and I heard them all watching it as it went over and I just thought, ‘shoot.'”

The Gunnison game came on the heels of a four-set loss for MoCo Thursday in Grand Junction, while the previous week saw them at home with a Bulldog sweep of Soroco on Oct. 15 for Retro Night, a 3-0 loss to Steamboat Springs for Oct. 17’s Pink Night, and a 3-0 loss to league opponents Coal Ridge on Oct. 19’s Senior Night.

Cordova was particularly emotional about the Senior Night event as she recollected the last few years.

“We kinda got this new gym at the last minute, so we couldn’t make a lot of memories in here,” she said. “This year we all worked really well together and it was so different than last year. I’ll miss these girls.”

The team’s five upperclassmen — Cordova, Caitlyn Adams, Ariana Buchanan, Moriah Hodnefield, Mena Tucker — have been integral to the successes, though Caldwell noted that a bench of juniors and sophomores are looking promising for next year, including Adrian Profumo, Keona Bolton and twins Bella and Sofia Vanzo.

“Last year I had a very new team and I did again this year, but they made it work a lot better this time,” Caldwell said.

At 8-14, MCHS has doubled its win total from 2023, and the head coach noted that they are aiming for one final victory with the season finale this weekend in Aspen.

“If we play like we did against Gunnison, I know we can take Aspen,” Caldwell said.