Tucumcari falls to Socorro, Navajo Prep

RIO RANCHO - The Tucumcari volleyball team's first trip to the state tournament in 30 years was a short but spirited one, losing four-set matches to higher-seeded Socorro and Navajo Prep in the Class 3A bracket's opening rounds.

In the Lady Rattlers' do-or-die elimination match Friday afternoon at the Santa Ana Star Center, they fell to seventh-seeded Navajo Prep 12-25, 25-18, 19-25, 24-26.

Tucumcari, a No. 9 seed, finished the year 11-13. Navajo Prep advanced to the semifinals before falling to eventual state champion (Las Vegas) Robertson.

Senior Jasmine Jones closed her Tucumcari volleyball career with a team-high 14 kills. Felicity Lopez added eight kills for the Lady Rattlers, and Amber Owen totaled six.

Tucumcari coach Dana Benavidez initially was hard-pressed to figure out the reasons for her team's loss Friday against the Eagles, though she acknowledged Navajo Prep held an advantage with its blocking game. The Eagles made 13 blocks compared to the Lady Rattlers' four. Tucumcari also committed eight serving errors to Navajo Prep's four.

"They got us on a few tips, and they got a lot of blocks as well," she said. "But we were covering a lot of their tips and hard hits."

The fourth-game loss was a galling one for Tucumcari. Navajo Prep lost four points when officials discovered a player-rotation error midway through the game, turning an 11-6 Tucumcari deficit into a 7-6 one.

Tucumcari surged to a 23-20 lead and took a 24-22 edge after a Lopez kill, seemingly poised to force a fifth and tiebreaking game.

Navajo Prep responded with two straight blocks, then a kill at match point to end Tucumcari's season.

After a few minutes in the locker room with her vanquished team, Benavidez emerged.

"I told them there was nothing to hold their heads down about," she said. "They had a great year; they've done something no Tucumcari (volleyball) team had done in 30 years. And I truly believe they gave it all they had on the court today. They were playing their hearts out; sometimes things don't fall in their favor. The girls stood through adversity and tried to be good to each other. I'm not disappointed in their season at all."

Tucumcari lost its opening-round match 10-25, 21-25, 25-23, 21-25 to Socorro on Thursday at the Santa Ana Star Center.

Jones led the Lady Rattlers with 12 kills in a match where they battled a case of nerves in the first game but settled down after that.

"It was a close match, as well," Benavidez said. "It was just some close plays that were the determining difference in that game."

Socorro later lost to top-seeded Tularosa 3-1 and later were eliminated by Sandia Prep 3-2 in the losers' bracket. The Warriors finished the year 15-11.

Benavidez offered a few words about her six departing seniors – Jones, Aaliyah Brown, Mariah Ruvalcaba-Vasquez, Emily Lopez, Tianna Peterson and Chantal Gardea.

"Those six seniors led their team," she said. "Those six were great to each other and the rest of the team, and they will be missed. They will always hold a special place in Tucumcari volleyball."

The Lady Rattlers seemed to enjoy each others' company on the volleyball court, and Jones concurred with that observation.

"We're all good friends," she said through teary eyes. "We had like a family relationship throughout the season. We'd never had that before. I think that helped us a lot and helped carry us through the tough games."

When asked about the experience of playing in a state tournament at a big arena, she beamed.

"It's just amazing – just the feeling and the nerves," she said. "When you step out on the court, there's no other feeling. It's the best thing you could ever face."