Melrose tops Lady Longhorns

MELROSE - The top-ranked and unbeaten Lady Buffaloes played a nearly perfect district volleyball match Friday afternoon and No. 2 Logan didn't, leading to a rare three-game loss - 14-25, 23-25, 23-25 - for the Lady Longhorns.

Melrose, which improved to 10-0 overall and 2-0 in their district, undoubtedly had their sights on Logan after losing four of five of their matches last season, including in the Class 1A state championship.

"We played exceptionally well," Lady Buffaloes coach Casey Jackson said. "Anytime you can (win in three games), it's pretty good. That team's going to be a battle every time."

Logan, which fell to 11-2 (both losses against Melrose), likely will need to run the table on the rest of its league games, including Oct. 19 at home against Melrose, to force a tiebreaker for the district crown. The tiebreaker would be played at a neutral site, probably at Tucumcari.

Logan coach Robert Young gave props to his foe Friday, but acknowledged his team didn't play its best.

"Melrose played a pretty error-free match," he said. "I thought we made a lot of mistakes that helped them. They're playing hard and are hard to beat, and we have some things we need to work on to make us better."

Young said his Lady Longhorns struggled with their blocks, passing and serving.

"We had so many unforced errors and gave them opportunity after opportunity," he said. "They're not a team you want to give a lot of extra chances."

One thing that boosted Melrose was the return of Nataley Mondragon to the front line. She had been playing only in the back row after suffering a hairline fracture of her femur during track season.

"She played libero the last time we played them; now she got to play her normal middle position and got to hit a little bit," Jackson said. "It makes a difference."

Logan held a lead for almost all of the second game, including a 22-18 advantage. But Melrose went on a 7-1 run the rest of the way to seize it.

"That took the momentum from us," Young said. "If we had won that one, it might have been a different outcome. But once we lost that one, it seemed like we were doubting ourselves."

The Lady Buffaloes nearly frittered away their third game, leading 19-11 and 24-19. Melrose was clinging to a 24-23 lead when Logan served the ball out of bounds, giving the match to the home team.

Tucumcari 3, Santa Fe Indian 0

The Lady Rattlers exceeded their victory total from last year with a 25-20, 25-22, 25-12 victory Saturday at Santa Fe Indian School.

Tucumcari improved to 8-5 overall and is ranked seventh in Class 3A by MaxPreps.com. The Lady Rattlers were 7-16 last season.

Jasmine Jones led the Lady Rattlers with 10 kills, while Amber Owen added six. Reece Goldston totaled 26 assists during the match.

"We played great," Tucumcari coach Dana Benavidez said. "We executed our offense and served well. I am very proud of the team's hard work and dedication."

The Lady Braves fell to 3-8.

Logan 3, Clayton 0

The Lady Longhorns crushed winless Clayton 25-13, 25-5, 25-16 during a road match Thursday.

The Yellowjackets fell to 0-12.

Grady/San Jon 3, Hondo Valley 0

Teryn Foote blasted 14 kills and made two blocks during a 25-23, 25-21, 25-20 victory Saturday over Hondo Valley at Grady.

Hannah Bobbitt made 10 digs and 12 assists for the Lady Bronchos, who improved to 6-6 overall.

Hondo Valley fell to 2-7.

Grady/San Jon 3, Elida 0

Foote notched 15 kills and five blocks during a 27-25, 25-17, 25-22 victory Sept. 24 over Elida.

Isabelle Martinez added 14 digs and four serving aces during the match for the Lady Bronchos. Bobbitt made 17 assists.

The Tigers fell to 2-5.