LA JARA – The fifth-ranked Centauri High School volleyball team was looking to move into a tie for second place in the Intermountain League when it hosted sixth-ranked Bayfield at the CHS gym.

The Falcons, however, couldn’t quite get the job done as the lost in three sets to the Wolverines. The scores were 25-21, 25-20 and 25-18.

“We started off kind of well, we just couldn’t sustain any momentum,” said Centauri coach Eddie Chacon. “That’s going to be something we’re going to have to work on is being able to take control and save momentum when we have it, and not give up those runs.”

The Falcons s cored the first point of the first set, but the Wolverines tied the score. Centauri than scored two straight points, but Bayfield did the same to tie the score at 3-3.

The Falcons then scored four consecutive points, but the Wolverines responded by scoring three of the next four to close within 8-6. The teams then traded side outs until Bayfield went on a 6-1 run to take its first lead at 13-11.

Centauri responded with a 4-1 run to regain the lead at 15-14. But the Wolverines had a 5-1 rally to go back in front at 19-16.

Centauri scored four consecutive points for a 20-19 lead, but Bayfield scored six of the final seven points to take the first set 25-21.

The Wolverines scored the first point of the second set, but the Falcons scored four unanswered points for a 4-1 lead. Bayfield came back to narrow its deficit to 6-5 before Centauri scored two in a row for an 8-5 advantage.

The teams then traded the next seven side outs before the Wolverines went on a 7-2 run to regain the lead at 15-13. After a brief Falcons side out, Bayfield scored eight of the next 10 points to take a 23-16 lead.

Centauri attempted a comeback with a 4-0 run, but Bayfield scored the final two points for a 25-20 victory.

The teams exchanged the first 10 side outs of the third set before Bayfield went on a 10-3 run to take a 14-7 lead. Centauri scored three straight points, but the Wolverines scored six in a row for a 20-10 advantage.

The Falcons scored four consecutive points, but the Wolverines had a 4-1 rally to claim a 24-15 lead. Centauri mounted one last comeback effort with a 3-0 run, but Bayfield scored the final point for a 25-18 win.

Kenadie Wilfong led the Centauri offense with 23 assists. Analyn Dwyer led the hitting game with seven kills, followed by Joselyn McCarroll with six and Kynlei Curtis with five.

Curtis and Kimbry Wilfong both had one service ace.

Centauri (12-6, 3-4) will travel to the Sterling invitational on Saturday. It will face four tough teams in Severance, Wiggins, the seventh-ranked team in Class 2A, Lamar, and Sterling.

“The teams that are there are all going to be state qualifiers,” Chacon said. “So we have our work cut out ahead of us for this weekend, and we’re going to try to put tonight behind us and focus on the next game. That’s a blessing of having a quick turnaround because we won’t have time to think about it. We’re going to do some work and see what we can do to get back in there. League is out of the question. So we’re going to figure out how to get in a good position come playoff time.”

Top-ranked Alamosa will also be at the Sterling invitational. It will face “Wiggins, Severance, Lamar and Merino, the top-ranked team in Class 1A.