Lady Rattlers' new plateau

RIO RANCHO - The Lady Rattlers didn't bring home a trophy, nor did they advance to the Class 3A semifinals.

What they did, however, was solidify their claim as the best volleyball team in school history.

The Lady Rattlers not only earned their first-ever victory at the state tournament on Thursday, but they notched another win on Friday.

Tohatchi finally brought Tucumcari's postseason to an end with 15-25, 25-14, 16-25, 19-25 loss Friday afternoon at the Rio Rancho Events Center.

The Lady Rattlers downed district rival Ruidoso in the opening round, then ousted Navajo Prep in a five-set epic in the losers bracket. Tucumcari's other loss in the tourney was to fourth-seeded Sandia Prep in the quarterfinals.

In addition to the two unprecedented victories at the tourney, here are Tucumcari's other claims as the best team in program history:

- Highest seed ever (fifth) in the state tournament;

- 20 victories, more than any other THS squad;

- Notching its second district title in three years;

- Defeating area rival Logan for the first time since 2016;

- An 11-match winning streak.

Tucumcari coach Dana Benavidez, in her eighth season, said these accomplishments are all from homegrown girls.

"They're our kids; they're from our town. They grew up together. They play together and want to win for our school and show a lot of pride," she said.

Against Tohatchi, Cambree Benavidez led the Lady Rattlers with 10 kills. Caylee Benavidez added seven kills, four blocks and three aces.

Marisa Denetso led the Cougars with 11 kills, but the MVP of that match was libero Summer Bedonie, who led her team with seven aces and made point-saving digs all over the court.

"They were scrappy," coach Benavidez said. "We had a hard time scoring. Our blockers blocked pretty well, but their libero is pretty good and made a lot of plays on balls. We hit a lot on the line, and they defended their line pretty well."

After the loss to the Cougars, the Lady Rattlers coach told her tearful players what they meant to the program.

"I told them I was super-proud of them, what they'd done ... the spirit, the love, the pride they showed for their school, their town," she said. "This will be something nobody will ever take away from them. Forever, they'll be talking about our team overcame everything that happened in their lives and made a run at state.

"To get 20 wins in a season is unheard of in Tucumcari," she added. "Whenever they walk into the gym and see their number on a banner, they'll say, 'That's my team.' They won't remember the losses; they'll remember the wins."

Haisley Huffman, one of six senior players on THS squad, knows what it's like to experience elation as a two-time state champion in the long jump. But she said she relished the experience of being on a team in the state tournament.

"It feels a lot better to do it with your whole team. It feels like you accomplished a lot," she said, wiping away tears. "They're my favorite team. They all push themselves. I definitely won't ever forget it."

Fellow senior Kirksey Smith echoed those sentiments.

"Making it to the state tournament with a team ... I wish all teams could know how it feels to have a team that has your back, that pushes themselves and you every day," she said. "They give everything they have to the team."

Tucumcari loses six seniors - Huffman, Smith, Kylie'Ann Rincones, Harley McKinney, Amaya Roybal and Alexis Ramirez - that provided a lot of leadership to the now-storied squad.

But Smith voiced confidence the Lady Rattlers will be fine next season.

"They have what they need to be successful next year, too," she said.

Tucumcari 3, Navajo Prep 2

Tucumcari faced a height disadvantage during its losers-bracket match Friday against 11th-seeded Navajo Prep, but they overcame it with a 25-20, 20-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-11 victory that took more than two hours to complete.

Cambree Benavidez led the Lady Rattlers with 16 kills, and Haisley Huffman added seven kills. Kirksey Smith made four aces, including the match-winner in the fifth set.

Kyla Lopez played a big role in Tucumcari's victory with four scoring blocks to blunt Navajo Prep's attack.

"We talked about adjusting to them because they hit straight down the middle," coach Dana Benavidez said. "Kyla, especially in the third set, came up with huge blocks. They are taller than us, but we adjusted our block timing and came up big with them."

Sandia Prep 3, Tucumcari 0

Using a big height advantage, fourth-seeded Sandia Prep overwhelmed Tucumcari 25-9, 25-17, 25-16 in the quarterfinal round Thursday.

The Sundevils used a front line of players who stood 6-foot, 5-foot-11, 5-foot-10 and 5-foot-10 to command a 34-20 advantage in kills. Tucumcari rarely had a lead in any set.

"We're very short; I don't know how else to say it ... height-challenged," coach Benavidez said. "When we play a team that's taller than us, we struggle a little bit. But we kept fighting and never gave up."

Caylee Benavidez, the Lady Rattlers' setter, led the team with six kills - many on tips that caught Sandia's defense napping.

Tucumcari 3, Ruidoso 1

Faced with playing a district foe for a third time this year, Tucumcari showed little nervousness during a 25-14, 25-18, 23-25, 25-17 first-round victory Thursday over 12th-seed Ruidoso for its first-ever tournament win.

"It's good for our school and community when we come to big games and think we can win," coach Benavidez said.

The Lady Rattlers raced to leads to 7-0, 6-1 and 7-1 in three of four sets. In the fourth and deciding set, they turned a 9-11 deficit into a 16-11 lead with seven unanswered points.

"They weren't nervous. They had a good attitude, and they're good teammates to each other," Benavidez said.

Cambree Benavidez and Haisley Huffman led Tucumcari with 12 kills each.

"Haisley leads and hustles 100% all the time," her coach said. "She uses her speed, and that helps a lot. She's exceptional in playing defense, too. I'm proud of her."

The Lady Rattlers also commanded a 12-3 advantage in serving aces, with Caylee Benavidez having four.