'Savvy' Montrose volleyball rebounds against Grand Junction for fourth win

The victory continued an early trend from Montrose — they’ve won eight of their last 14 sets by nine points or more. It’s the third time they’ve completed a straight sets sweep.

“We played our game,” Indians coach Shane Forrest said. “We played Montrose volleyball and played a clean solid match the whole night.”

Montrose, playing what Forrest said was a Tigers team that’s “scrappy and plays with a lot of heart,” was efficient, especially with its serving, a key aspect the Indians have capitalized on at various points already this season.

The second set was considerably lopsided, a 25-9 Montrose win.

“We were pretty dominant through the whole set, and credit to our serving,” Forrest said. “We served really tough and kept them out of system and kept them out of running any offense. We were in control not only that set, but the entire match.”

Madisen Matoush led the team with eight aces, adding three blocks, 19 digs (a team-high) and seven kills. Junior Jaedyn Key had an efficient night from the outside, leading the Indians with 10 kills.

“It’s an exciting team to coach,” Forrest said. “... For being just juniors, they’re really mature and really savvy when it comes to volleyball. They make good decisions and they see the court well. They gel and have really strong chemistry and that’s something a coach can’t coach, it’s just a natural thing that comes.”

Montrose took conference rival Durango (3-0) to five sets last Saturday, but the Demons pulled away after some Montrose errors in the final frame for a 15-11 win and the overall victory. The Indians took a 2-1 lead after winning the third set 25-20, but Durango won the fourth set 25-22.

In Tuesday’s win, Kelsey Rocco added nine kills and 10 digs to her season totals. Kiera Quezada was second with 12 digs.

As of Monday, Montrose is No. 13 in the state in 4A. With a 4-1 record, the Indians will continue their slate of road games with a trip to Eagle Valley (6-0 as of Wednesday) on Saturday.

Josue Perez is a staff writer for the Montrose Daily Press