By Jeremy McDonald
jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
SHERIDAN, Ore.– The Delphian Dragons have been on an tear in their last six games after their 25-19, 25-23, 25-21 sweep of cross-town opponent Sheridan Tuesday night.
After their five-set win over Gaston back on September 30, Delphian has won 15 straight sets and five league games since that game at Gaston High School.
“It was a lot of excitement, we played really well as a team,” said the Dragons LouElla Taufer. “Last time we lost to (Sheridan), this time we came out really strong and we fought.”
When the two teams met at Delphian September 19, the Dragons took the first set very similarly to how they did Tuesday before the Spartans wheeled off three straight set wins to take the game on the hill that day.
And as both teams entered Tuesday’s match-up, the second set of the match even, Delphian and Colton were knotted up for third place in league at 7-4 with the Spartans a game behind them at 6-5 in fifth.
Sheridan jumped out to a 9-4 second set lead on the Dragons. With Santiam two games behind them, they’re hoping their late season slump won’t hurt their chances for league playoffs. Sitting as the 15th-ranked team in 2A, the Spartans don’t want to let the computers decide their fate beyond October 23.
“Learning each day at a time,” said Sheridan’s McKenzie Wofford. “Today wasn’t our day. Delphian definitely came back and really wanted this, we weren’t expecting this at all. We came out here wanting to win and that just didn’t happen.”
After starting the season strongly, Sheridan’s hit a bit of a slump and won just two of their last seven games. With the Wolverines two games behind them with Delphian and the Vikings tied for third in front of them, the Spartans hope to finish the regular season strongly.
And with their three-team duel starting with Colton Thursday afternoon at home, Sheridan hope to bounce back from their five-game loss to the Vikings as they saw the Dragons rally back and scrape up the second set victory.
“Definitely get in their heads and think about last game. What we need to improve on from the last games and just be better than them when they come here,” said Wofford.
Delphian on the other hand, as they held off the Spartans in the third set for the sweep, it’s a matter of separating themselves and perhaps put the pressure on Culver come Thursday for that second spot in league entering the league playoffs.
The two squads meet up Thursday at Chemawa Indian School for a three-way match with the Braves with the Bulldogs in striking distance of the Dragons with four-games left in the regular season.
“Just keep playing together as a team, playing hard,” said Taufer. “We’ve been working hard in practices and keeping the same thing we’ve been doing. Pushing forward every time, getting our hits and our serves down.”
