Lady Rattlers to host regional teams at tournament

QCS Senior Writer

The Lady Rattlers have the skills they need to be successful on the court, but need to start each game with intensity, said head volleyball coach Dana Benavidez.

The Rattlers will host several regional teams including the Logan Lady Longhorns during their volleyball tournament Friday and Saturday at the Snake Pit.

Benavidez said before the tournament, the Lady Rattlers have a road game Tuesday in Pecos that will show her what the team has learned since Thursday’s 3-1 loss to Melrose.

“We made mistakes in the first two sets against Melrose and could not recover,” Benavidez said.

Despite being down, the Lady Rattlers’ confidence grew in the third set, preventing a sweep and forcing a fourth set with Melrose.

“We know they are the defending 2A state champions, but we were not going to let that determine the outcome of the game,” said the Lady Rattlers' Alyssa Martinez.

Martinez said the team has to keep its composure, even when down two sets. She said they cannot let a team's reputation interfere with their mindset before or during a game.

“If we work together as a team and stay positive nothing is impossible,” Martinez said.

Elsewhere in the county:

• The Logan Lady Longhorns placed third during their season-opening tournament Saturday at Logan.

They finished behind Grady and Springer.

• The San Jon Lady Coyotes will play their first game of the season at 4 p.m., Thursday at Vaughn.