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Steamboat volleyball sweeps Moffat County in Wednesday night action

Moffat County junior Olivia Profumo works the ball by Steamboat seniors Jadyn Robson and Aliyah Reimer during a game aon Wednesday night. (Photo by Shelby Reardon)

The Steamboat Springs High School volleyball seniors were overwhelmed Wednesday night. Not by their opponent, Moffat County, but by the amount of love, encouragement and gifts they received on senior night.

Seniors Marcada Baker and Aliyah Reimer walked out of the locker room carrying white baskets full of goodies. Each senior got a full basket with items specifically for them: Skinny pop popcorn, Ghirardelli chocolates, buffs and more.

Moffat County sophomore Cayden King smacks the ball over the net under pressure from Steamboat senior Emily Schneider during a game against Moffat County on Wednesday night. (Photo by Shelby Reardon)

The parents also got them flowers, decorated an arch for photos and decked out the locker room with red, white and black. They even passed out red and white pom-poms to the largest student section of the year, which cheered loudly as the Sailors won 3-0 over Moffat County on Wednesday night.



“I loved it so much,” Baker said. “It was so beautiful. Our moms went all out. All the past years have been fun, but this was just absolutely amazing.”

“Huge thanks to the parents for putting this together for us,” Reimer said. “It’s amazing, and we really appreciate it.”



The five seniors, Emily Schneider, Erica Simmons, Jayden Robson, Baker and Reimer were honored ahead of the game, a ceremony that brought emotions to the surface for everyone watching.

“Five incredible young ladies really, in every way, high character girls,” Steamboat head coach Wendy Hall said. “They’ve earned a lot of respect in this program. They’re kind and hardworking and honest and super respectful.”

Then they got right into the game.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to play at your top level when you’re a little emotional,” Hall said. “But I feel like that first set we came out on fire.”

Steamboat Springs senior Jayden Robson aims for the ball during a game against Moffat County on Wednesday night. (Photo by Shelby Reardon)

Steamboat won the opening set 25-9 off blocks from sophomore Tya Drennan and hits from Baker and Robson that rattled off the floor. Despite the success, the Sailors still felt like they could have picked up the pace.

“It really played out well, but I wish it went a little faster during the game,” Baker said. “I wish it went harder, I guess.”

The girls in red did fall out of rhythm at times but not to the point it hurt them. There were just some gaps in between hits.

They had such a comfortable lead over Moffat County, that when they made mistakes, the Sailors could calmly laugh it off. Up by more than 10, when a serve hit the net or a slam from Moffat County hit the floor, it wasn’t a big deal. The Sailors had a significant lead and were sitting on a 1-0 set advantage.

It helped that the game was a nonconference matchup and served as the perfect place to try new things and make mistakes.

The errors hit a peak early in the third set as Moffat County sophomore Cayden King caught fire and used back-to-back-to-back spikes at the net to keep the set close. Steamboat was startled by her smart touches and strong hand.

“She’s just a competitor all the way around,”Bulldogs head coach Jessica Profumo said . “She’s coachable, obviously athletic. She came in last year as a freshman and really just was tipping a lot. She just wasn’t used to it. She was new to the sport. How much she’s grown in a year shows how coachable she is.”

The Bulldogs fought until the very end. Steamboat had the win in hand at 24-13 in the third, but Moffat County put up four more points until the Sailors sealed the 25-17 victory.

“I think they’re very resilient. We have a young group,” Profumo said. “Tonight was senior night, but we only have one senior. So, that says a lot for our future. It’s really important that I tell them to play their toughest and most aggressive all the time. I was happy to see that even being down.”

Steamboat Springs 3, Moffat County 0

• MC 9 17 17 – 0

• SS 25 25 25 – 3


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