Logan cruises

LOGAN - Defending Class 1A volleyball champion Logan cruised through its season-opening Lady Longhorn Volleyball Tournament, including a 25-18, 25-15, 25-10 win in the final Saturday against district foe Grady/San Jon.

Tucumcari went 2-1 in the tournament to take the consolation title.

Logan didn't lose a game during its three matches Thursday and Saturday. It knocked off Springer 25-7, 25-9, 25-9 during the opening round, then dispatched of Kim, Colorado, 25-11, 25-21, 25-12 in the semifinal.

Logan coach Robert Young found little to complain about after his team accepted the tournament's first-place trophy.

"We had a few mental errors, but we cleaned those up and finished the match pretty strong," he said. "We have some new faces at new positions, but they're getting better. We just need to keep working on our blocking, and our serve receive needs to get better."

Logan senior hitter Karli Webb, who totaled more than 400 kills last season en route to hear team's state championship, showed no obvious ill effects from a surgically repaired knee after a collision in the middle of basketball season. She soared high above the net during blocks and spike attempts.

"She's worked hard to rehab it - hitting the weight room, a lot of box jumping and running," Young said. "I think she's been running every evening after practice. There's still a few things she can't do that I've noticed, certain movements, but she's starting to get better at it."

Grady/San Jon (2-2), also a qualifier for the Class 1A state tournament last season, defeated Clayton 25-20, 25-16, 14-25, 25-7 in the opening round and downed Floyd 25-19, 25-22, 25-21 in the semifinal.

However, Lady Bronchos coach Rebecca Burns said her team looked flat in the latter half of its match against Logan.

"They just kind of tapered off," she said. "The energy just wasn't on our side. Logan didn't destroy us with their kills, but they definitely played smart by taking advantage of the holes in our defense.

"I think we just need to work on our confidence. Our girls are young, still. Most are juniors, but not all of them have valuable varsity experience yet. Building that confidence is going to be key for us this year."

Burns found a pleasant surprise during the Logan match. She praised freshman Hannah Loudermill for being "fearless" against the Lady Longhorns, logging a team-high five kills.

The Lady Bronchos won't have much time to contemplate their Logan loss. They likely will face the Lady Longhorns again during Friday and Saturday's Tucumcari Tournament.

Tucumcari (2-3) lost its opening-round match Thursday to Floyd 21-25, 18-25, 25-13, 18-25. Jasmine Jones had eight kills against Floyd.

Lady Rattlers coach Dana Benavidez said her team's bad habits resurfaced against Floyd.

"We started off playing well, but we got frazzled and couldn't finish the games," she said. "There's too much overthinking and not wanting to make mistakes instead of playing through it."

On Saturday, the Lady Rattlers cruised 25-7, 25-9, 25-16 over Clayton and 25-11, 25-7, 25-10 over Springer. Against Clayton, Jones' strong serves fueled 9-0, 11-0 and 7-0 scoring runs. Against Springer, Felicity Lopez hammed down a team-high 12 kills.

"We ended the weekend very well," Benavidez said. "The girls played calm, played under control and played as a team. We passed great, and that enables our setter to set up for our dominant hitters. We have so much potential to go far this year."

In the third-place match, Kim won a marathon against Floyd 17-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-20, 15-6.

Pecos 3, Tucumcari 0

Tucumcari played well but lacked the consistency to defeat state-ranked Pecos during a 19-25, 22-25, 23-25 loss Aug. 27 at the Snake Pit.

Pecos, ranked No. 4 in Class 2A in the last coaches poll, came through with several rallies late in games, including a 5-1 run in the first game and 7-1 in the second, to win its season opener.

Benavidez said Pecos' stellar defense wasn't going to make it easy for the Lady Rattlers.

"When we put it all together, we're top of the top," Benavidez said. "We have to play consistently to our highest level. There were some times there the way we were playing, we could've have beaten anyone. But we've got to finish it."

Jones' 12 kills led Tucumcari. Aaliyah Brown and Mariah Ruvalcaba-Vasquez combined for five blocks.