Draft ready to rumble

Losing the first two games against Fort Defiance on Sept. 20 was a tough pill to swallow for the Stuarts Draft volleyball team. It was the first time the Cougars had ever been that far in the gutter in a Southern Valley district match.

"That really made us see that we have to go for balls that we don't think that we can get to," said Stuarts Draft power hitter Tabitha Bowman. "We can't just walk in and win games."

Heading into Game 3, there was only one thing that Bowman could tell her five teammates, "Let's just have fun. It's they who have something to lose now."

Draft went on to sweep the Indians in the next three games, giving Fort Defiance its first district loss of the season.

"That was a heartbreaker," said Fort Defiance coach Lynn Alexander.

Twenty-eight days later, both teams will have another shot at one another, but on Thursday it will be in Indian territory. The last time these two teams met, the Stuarts Draft crowd became the X-factor in pumping up the struggling Cougars.

"We're trying to get all the guys to come to this one. Fort has a great crowd like us, so we're just going to have to use the crowd to our advantage," Bowman said. "When you know you're losing and you get that perfect kill and the crowd gets loud, you know that you've just pumped up your team."

If Fort Defiance beats Stuarts Draft, the Tribe would snap the Cougars' undefeated season in the Southern Valley.

"Oh my gosh, that would be such a MAJOR confidence booster for us," Alexander said. "They took the first loss pretty hard. They gave it their all."

In the first two games against Draft, Alexander was blown away by how well her Indians played together out on the court.

"We had good serving and good passing," Alexander said. "They had a lot of passion and intensity in what they were doing."

Even Stuarts Draft's Rachel Maki was amazed.

"They gave us a run for our money," Maki said. "We came out thinking about them to be easier than expected."

Looking back on the match, Maki realized how crucial it was for the Cougars to fight back and get the upper hand. With Draft at 7-0, the Cougars have a two-game cushion over Fort Defiance and Robert E. Lee.

"It's nice for us, but we can't let ourselves get comfortable. We can't give up," Maki said. "If we win the district, I know that we're all going to be excited. We want to go out with that perfect season."

But in order to get over the hump on Thursday, the Indians will need to keep the passes off the net and away from the Cougars' heavy blockers.

"We needed to have a more aggressive front line on offense and defense," Alexander said about the Sept. 20 match.

With only two district matches left for Stuarts Draft, coach Kami Meeteer knows not to take any team lightly, including Fort Defiance, who could end the Cougars' perfect season.

"I absolutely love playing against good teams. I think it's exciting for the girls to be able to show all of their talents," Meeteer said. "We just have to play good volleyball, and may the best team win."