By Stephen Jiron
MONTE VISTA — To open the harvest month Monte Vista volleyball continued their league schedule with a home match against Centauri. Last Tuesday night, the Falcons took a three set win over the home team.
Centauri (8-5) has been weathering the storm thus far this season. While the chances aren’t in the Falcons’ favor to host a regional triangular they are still within range of attending regionals. The regional tris will be hosted by 12 schools and be made up of 36 teams. According to the unofficial RPI standings on CHSAA.com the Falcons currently hold the number 24 spot in 3A volleyball. Monte Vista (1-13) has proven they can put up a fight. Yet hasn’t shown they can translate that into wins.  
Tuesday night the Pirates showed their scrappy side yet could only muster it in spurts. The opening set was started with a 4-point run from Centauri. Monte Vista forced a side out and rang off a 5-point rally of their own. The Falcons doubled up to make it 8-6 and Monte Vista tied things up with two more.
That was where the Pirates ran out of gas. For the remainder of the set Monte Vista would go to the service line three times and only pick up one point gaining the other three on side-outs. Meanwhile Centauri ran away with the set with senior Kaitlynn Martin spiking home the final point to take the first set 25-12.
Centauri got things rolling quickly in the second set opening up a 10-1 lead early. Again Monte Vista would not go away, rallying to 10-7. But a side out and an 8-point rally quelled any further uprising from Monte Vista allowing Centauri to take the second set 25-10.  
With Maegan Beckner at the service line the Pirates engineered their hottest start of the match. Monte Vista opened the third set with four points to give the Pirates a 4-2 lead early. On their second rally the Pirates scooped up a side out and three more points to lead 8-2.
Centauri would begin to close the distance eventually taking a 13-12 lead. Keeping Monte Vista to little more than the points off side outs the Falcons got another set ending kill from Martin to wrap things up at 25-16.
It’s relatively clear skies for the Falcons going forward. Of their next six individual opponents all but one of their 3A opponents are ranked 36th and below. That one opponent just happens to be third ranked Alamosa (19-0). Centauri will get a little running start before meeting the Moose. On Oct. 6 the Falcons attended Bayfield’s Tri to play both Bayfield and Montezuma Cortez. Then they’ll travel north on Oct. 9 for their rematch with Alamosa.
Monte Vista takes a week off and comes back fresh for their road match with Olathe on Oct. 11.