Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Tucumcari outside hitter Amber Owen spikes the ball against a New Mexico Military Institute defender during a district match March 23 at the Snake Pit.
Spiking woes proved to be a detriment for the Lady Rattlers in a 14-25, 17-25, 21-25 loss to New Mexico Military Institute on March 23 during the team's last home match of the abbreviated season.
Felicity Lopez led Tucumcari with 12 kills against NMMI. However, she and other Lady Rattlers struggled with their hitting game, committing 18 errors at the net.
"We struggled with hitting more than we ordinarily do," Tucumcari coach Dana Benavidez said. "Some games are just like that. We had good passing and good coverage. We just couldn't put three together.
"We played hard. I can never say my team didn't try their best," she added.
Tucumcari lost a close match earlier in the month at Roswell. NMMI coach Stephanie Schooley wanted to make sure last week's match wouldn't be as close for the wrong reasons.
"We cleaned up some of our errors," Schooley said. "Earlier, we were letting balls hit the floor on tips, and we weren't transitioning on defense as we needed. And we had hitting errors."
Before the match, Tucumcari honored its four seniors on the squad: Lopez, Arissa Griego, Jayden Martinez and Gracie Otero.
"They always showed great leadership and grace," Benavidez said. "Also, my senior manager, Laryssa Preciado, she has been a great asset to our team the last four years."
East Mountain 3, Tucumcari 2
The Lady Rattlers played well early but let a home district match get away during a 25-11, 25-23, 22-25, 14-25, 8-15 loss March 22 at the Snake Pit.
"We played the best we've ever played in that first set," Benavidez said. "We played phenomenal. But volleyball is such a game of momentum. When you lose your momentum, it's hard to get it back. And we lost it."
Lopez made 23 kills during the match, and Amber Owen added 10.
Raton 3, Tucumcari 0
Tucumcari fell in its season finale 19-25, 18-25, 14-25 Saturday at Raton.
The Lady Rattlers ended the season with a 2-9 record overall and 0-4 in District 4.
"My team always tries its best," Benavidez said on summing up her team's season. "They hustle all the time. We have lost some really close sets this year. Win or lose, I am proud of them and think they did great."
Raton improved to 9-2 and earned a No. 3 seed in this week's Class 3A state tournament.