Navajo Prep makes easy work of Crownpoint

FARMINGTON

The last thing the Navajo Preparatory School volleyball team wants their opponent to think is that there is hope for a win.

On Tuesday, every time Crownpoint High glimpsed a ray of hope at the end of the tunnel in each set, Navajo Prep dismissed it.

Navajo Prep allowed Crownpoint some opportunities but ultimately shut them out 3-0 (25-9, 25-9, and 25-8).

That is what Navajo Prep head coach Rainy Crisp wanted, but more.

“It doesn’t matter who we play, we need to come out with intensity, playing the way we know how,” Crisp said. “We got so much experience on our team that I feel that even right now we could play at a higher level, so right now we’re kind of mediocre; we’re playing it safe, and that’s not going to get us anywhere in 4A.”

What may seem like soft volleyball to Navajo Prep has been the bane of the opponents Navajo Prep has faced so far.

Navajo Prep entered the match with a 3-0 sweep over Bloomfield, who is in class 5A.

But Crisp said a win is only a win when matches are executed with full potential.

“We really need to do a lot better than just picking up the tempo, mixing up our game a little bit,” she said. “Right now we’re just kind of playing mediocre volleyball.”

Prep’s generic volleyball helped Crownpoint earn a few points in all three sets; they allowed nine in the first, nine in the second and eight in the last before closing out the match.

Crisp said the points given up were a result of lackluster play by her team.

“A lot of it was our fault, and at the same time we’re just really inconsistent,” Crisp said. “I know it’s really early in the season, but again, we have a great returning team. They should already know. We really want to continue to get better, not just play to play.”

---