Spelman comes up big for Trailblazers

Things Durango junior Hayley Spelman can do that most people probably can't: Clean the top of the fridge without a stepladder, get the chemistry books off the top shelf, make three 5-foot-11-inch teammates look puny.

All that, and the Trailblazers' 6-6 middle blocker had 15 kills Tuesday in the team's 25-21, 25-10, 25-21 win over Cimarron-Memorial in the first round of the Sunset Region girls volleyball tournament at Silverado High.

With Spelman in full rotation, including the back row, the Spartans couldn't just hit away from her. Despite making it close in the first and third games, Cimarron (8-9) couldn't overcome Durango (19-2).

"Every game is a challenge for us sometimes," Spelman said. "If we think we're gonna win, we tend to relax. That's exactly what we shouldn't do."

With Spelman, even a lackadaisical Durango team is pretty good.

Spelman's not all size, though. Her swing also is a thing of beauty.

"(Coach Bob Kelly), after a few months working with her, told me that she could really be something special if she worked hard," said Janet Spelman, Hayley's 6-1 mother. "But that's the thing about her, she's got a really good work ethic. She's hungry to improve."

Said Kelly: "Has she peaked? Oh, gosh no. She will get bigger, she will get stronger, more experienced. She will make some mistakes, but she does some incredible things."

Still, it's hard to look past the height. She's a full head taller than her teammates; a Durango huddle looks like 10 pawns and one queen.

But really, all of the Trailblazers are pawns in Kelly's scheme.

The longtime coach has had his share of smart, talented and tall players. What's made Durango successful through the years, though, has been Kelly's insistence on not just feeding the ball to those stars.

It's a lot easier this season with such a talented supporting cast, led by senior setter Markie Malone -- who's orally committed to play collegiate volleyball for Brigham Young.

Kelly said Malone has been great this season at mixing it up, but sometimes she's over-relied on Spelman.

"When she jumps, she hits over anybody," Malone said of Spelman. "It's so relieving. I don't know about her, but to me it's relieving."

For a while, it wasn't so easy for Spelman.

"When she was 13, and she was already taller than most of her teachers, she was always saying, 'Mom, when am I gonna stop growing?' " Janet Spelman said. "I'd say, 'I don't know, but you are what you are. So you better start getting happy with it.'

"Volleyball's reinforced that being tall is a good thing. Now, she'll say, 'Measure me! Maybe I'll grow another inch.' "

Durango will play Palo Verde in the semifinals at 3 p.m. Thursday. The Panthers survived Tuesday's only five-set match, defeating Bishop Gorman, 21-25, 25-14, 25-20, 19-25, 15-11. The Gaels (11-6) came close to pulling off the day's only upset, but the Panthers' four-point streak midway through the fifth game proved to be the difference.

Palo Verde (16-5) had three players with double-digit kills, and setter Hanna Korn (27 assists) spread the ball to both sides of the court.

Sierra Vista's Jessica Mojica had 23 assists to help the Lions (15-5) to a 25-19, 25-19, 25-21 win over Shadow Ridge (12-9).

The Lions made easy work of the Mustangs, constantly putting together long runs to maintain momentum.

Sierra Vista went on an 8-0 run midway through the first game and never looked back. The Lions will play defending Sunset champ Centennial (16-3) in the other semifinal at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Lauren Sagers had 13 assists, 10 digs, eight kills and seven aces to lead the Bulldogs to a 25-14, 25-15, 25-16 win over Spring Valley (7-10).