Lady Buffs bow out after one win at State

Four all-region, two all-state players chosen

After a winning season, the Buffs came up short in their bid for a state title, going 1-2 in Casper over the weekend.

“We were very excited to get back to state this season,” volleyball coach Sara Schlattmann said. “Most of these girls had not had a state experience and so I was glad for that.  I think it makes a big difference if you have played in that environment previously.”

Schlattmann considered this a factor in the team’s first match against Pine Bluffs. After topping their conference and region, Greybull took the West’s first seed, set to face No. 4 in the East, Pine Bluffs last Thursday. Under the powerful lights and massive stands of the Ford Wyoming Center, the Buffs had to tackle a strong team with a different level of play from those on this side of the state. 

“That was a critical match for us, as it was the best pathway to a placing round.  We were so close in the third set, but Pine Bluffs just held on,” Schlattmann said. “That was a turning point for sure.”

Serving and blocking errors plagued the Buffs, and they fell in a four-set heartbreaker, 16-25, 25-17, 26-28, 17-25, dropping them down into a consolation bracket. 

Despite the setback, the Buffs rebounded with a straight win against Rocky Mountain on Friday, going 25-21, 25-15 and 25-14. 

“I could see that our girls were very determined to win that match,” Schlattmann said. “Confidence is such a huge factor, and in this instance, it was in our favor.”

Serving improved to 97%, and strong target passing led to 45 kills for Greybull. 

“Our Saturday morning match, we knew was going to be a tough one,” Schlattmann said. “Tongue River is a solid team and we have played them multiple times this season.”  

Winning the match would have ultimately allowed the Buffs to play for third and fourth. But the Eagles brought in selective serving that picked apart the Buffs’ defense, leading to a 18-25, 9-25, 13-25 loss for Greybull. The top four teams in the state were all from the East; Big Horn, Sundance, Tongue River and Pine Bluffs, respectively. 

For the weekend, Perla Rodriguez led with 39 kills, followed by Ellie Holloway with 25, Marlee Henson with 21, Camila Acuna with 14 and Caitlyn Hunt with eight. Setter Wyatt Whalley provided another 97 assists and libero Shayne Cheatham popped up 65 digs. 

“I was proud of the girls for continuing to play their hardest.  It wasn’t the result we had hoped for but certainly left them with a sense that they belonged here,” Schlattmann said. 

Even though it wasn’t the ending the Buffs had hoped for, the team saw a successful season. In total, Whaley racked up 845 assists. Rodriguez slammed down 332 kills, Holloway 252 and Henson 234. Cheatham had 314 digs. Serving was led by Brooklyn Allen, Camila Acuna, Shayne Cheatham and Wyatt Whaley, all serving over 90%. Henson led the team on blocks. 

Four of the 16 players from the West to be selected for the all-region team will hail from Greybull this year: Rodriguez, Whaley, Holloway, and Henson. Juniors Rodriguez and Whaley earned all-state honors, Rodriguez for the second season in a row. 

“I think their stats speak for themselves, but these girls are also hard workers, good teammates and fun to coach,” Schlattmann said. “They know that you don’t get this honor without all of your team, and we certainly have a great team who supported one another.”

The Buffs will lose seniors Acuna, Cheatham and Sherlyn Diaz-Rios next season. Schlattmann lamented that their hard work and fun-natured attitudes would be hard to replace. 

However, with the team’s top stat leaders in the junior class, the Buffs should expect to come back strong next year. 

“This was such a great season.  I really enjoyed coaching this group of athletes and they worked hard,” Schlattmann said.